


Letters To Henry

by SouthOfFerelden



Series: "The Inquisitor And His Seeker" [15]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Betrayal, Blood Magic, Brothers, Death, F/M, Family, Fluff, Friendship, Grief, He needs a hug.., Hero Worship, Inquisitor's brother, Jilted, Love/Smutt, Love/Support, Poor Inquisitor, True Love, Wedding, curse, family ties
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-15
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-08-15 03:54:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 28
Words: 146,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8041522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SouthOfFerelden/pseuds/SouthOfFerelden
Summary: Lady Cassandra Allegra Portia Calogera Filomena Pentaghast, Seeker and 78th in line to the Nevarran Throne knows how important letters from home are to the Inquisitor, Lord Trevelyan. Especially from the eldest of the three Trevelyan boys, his brother Henry. The Seeker knows she is lucky to have his family to now call her own but can't help but wonder what would cause three Young Trevelyan Lords to become enemies. When the Inquisitor's brother is killed due to a decision he himself made, how will he cope with the guilt of causing his family so much pain? Lady Pentaghast discovers some secrets about Lord Trevelyan's family and a trip to Ostwick leaves her relationship with the Inquisitor in jeopardy.
“Do not lie to me,” Lord Trevelyan shouts, Cassandra sees the mark on his hand begin to flicker as his anger increases. “You are welcome to each other,” He snorts before kicking his horse again and riding away from them as fast as his horse will take him. The Seeker snorts with frustration as they watch him ride away from them and into the estate, he clearly had no intention of waiting for them and was going to be arriving before them.





	1. A Letter From Henry

**Author's Note:**

> Wow you guys are awesome :) Thank you for clicking and thank you for reading.. Thanks to everyone that has shared my links on fb and tumblr too, I appreciate it :) Anyways.. I've never tried chapters before because I'm so bad at AO3 but i'm going to try it now. I've currently written about six chapters for this and it sits at 20,000 words and i'm not done so.. I will post it in chapters, and see how we get on okay? :) How do I know how long a chapter should be? Hmmm.. Who knows?! :D Always happy for some feedback, I think this is fic number 15? I'm sorry for my random timeline, sometimes I need to write out of order haha. As always find me on tumblr: SouthOfFerelden and send me some messages :)

                                              
    
  
Lady Cassandra Allegra Portia Calogera Filomena Pentaghast, Seeker and 78th in line to the Nevarran Throne clutches the letter tightly in her gloved fist as she walks across the courtyard of Skyhold, her feet stamping against the frost covered ground making a crunching sound beneath her leather boots. The Seeker lets out a puff of breath into the cool air watching it turn to a cloud in front of her face as she walks, the cold in the mountains was beginning to make itself known and they were surely soon to be due more snow. Cassandra uses her free hand to pull her coat tighter around herself trying to keep warm but also not wanting to let go of the precious piece of parchment that has come into her possession. Lady Pentaghast knew this weather would make it even more difficult to reach their fortress through the mountain pass and they would need to ensure they had enough supplies for the worst weeks. They would need to rely heavily on Ravens for communication and trade would almost completely stop. Cassandra sighs, she had loved the snow as a child but ever since the fall of Haven and having to search for the Inquisitor, then Herald, in such howling weather she now preferred the more forgiving sunnier seasons. The Seeker smiles to herself as she continues on her path, she did have to admit there were some advantages to the threats of snow, all of which involved being cuddled up to her Inquisitor under a blanket and in front of a large fire.  
  
Cassandra stamps her feet harder trying to keep the chill from her toes, all she could think about right now was getting back into the main building and allowing herself to defrost in the warmth Skyhold provided. The Seeker climbs the stone steps, taking one at a time knowing them to get slippery when it’s cold. Cassandra lets out another huff into the air feeling her teeth start to chatter, she reaches her gloved hand to the door and onto the large metal handle pushing the doors open. A wave of warmth engulfs her in a hug as she steps into the Great Hall, turning to close the doors behind her again keeping the weather out of their sanctuary. Cassandra tucks the letter into the lining of her coat for safe keeping.

“Seeker” Varric smiles his greeting to her when he looks up from the job of polishing Bianca, The Seeker notices he has almost completely taken apart his beloved cross bow and has her spread out in lots of pieces on the table in front of the fire. “You look cold, would you like to sit here?” He asks with what she thinks might be a genuine sound of concern in his voice.  
  
“Its getting cold out there” Cassandra returns his smile not wanting to appear rude and desperate to find her Inquisitor. “Bianca is looking to be in a good way though, you will have to tell me how you get the grip so polished like that” Lady Pentaghast adds seeing a smile tug at the corner of his mouth, pleased that she has noticed the hard work he has put into his bow.  
  
“Well the secret is..” Varric begins, looking like he is about to spin her a tale that starts somewhere in Orzammar and ends up with battling Dark Spawn in the deep roads.

“I’m sorry Varric, we will have to save this for another time” The Seeker smiles at him again apologizing for cutting him off. “I really need to find Lord Trevelyan and remove these boots before I loose my toes” Cassandra laughs making Varric just nod and smile.

“Another time, Seeker” He adds with another nod, she watches him pick up the cleaning cloth from the table again to go back to his delicate work. “The Inquisitor has his head stuck in a book” The Dwarf nods his head in the direction of the back of the Great Hall “as per usual” He mumbles giving her another smile to send her on her way.  
  
Lady Pentaghast glances in the direction that he has indicated she might find her lover, when she doesn’t immediately see him she wonders where he might be hiding. Cassandra knew that unlike her, who read all the time for pleasure, her Lord Trevelyan often had his head glued to a tome or book that he thought would aid him as the Inquisitor. He spent a lot of his free time trying to gain all the knowledge and information he could, anything he thought would make him a better leader and man. The Seeker begins walking down through the Great Hall, passing by groups of visiting Nobles that appear to be being given the grand tour of the fortress by Lady Montilyet and past a selection of traders that are huddled together discussing the shift in the weather. She focuses her eyes to the door on the left that leads to their Quarters and then to the door on the right that leads to the Undercroft, still not seeing him.  
  
“There’s no one down here but Thedas’ most unwanted” Lady Pentaghast looks down to the floor when she hears his voice, noticing that the Inquisitor is sat on the floor with his back pressed against the back of the Inquisitor’s throne and that he must have heard someone approaching. She spots that he is sat on a large fur that with his knees drawn up close to his body “I’m busy right now,” Lord Trevelyan adds still not looking up to see that it is her. Cassandra notices that he has a large book balanced on his knees that he is staring at, trying to take in all the information that he is reading.

“I would say you are far from unwanted, My Lord” Lady Pentaghast laughs when he finally looks up at her a smile spreading across his face, obviously happy to see her. “But I have to ask why you are sat behind your throne rather than on it?” She asks receiving a shrug from her lover.  
  
“I’m not a King” The Inquisitor replies chuckling to himself as he shuffles up in the space that he sits making room for her. “Kings sit upon a throne while people kneel before them kissing his feet” Cassandra lowers herself to the floor next to him, wrapping her arms around his bicep leaning her head against his shoulder. She was instantly comforted by his warm body next to her and the soft material beneath her cheek as he draws her closer to him, she wriggles her fingers out of her gloves dropping them to the floor next to her.

“You are the Inquisitor, that is better than a King” The Seeker smiles when he leans closer to her pressing a kiss against the top of her head, he rests his head on top of hers lowering his knees along with the book. “I have never found kneeling before you to be a problem,” Cassandra giggles receiving a tutting noise from him.  
  
“So bold with your teasing me, minx” The Inquisitor chuckles when he brings his hand up to stroke her dark locks between his fingers.  
  
“I never tease you, but would rather kiss your lips than your feet.. I have seen your feet” Cassandra laughs drawing another chuckle from the Inquisitor.

“As you wish Lady Seeker” The Inquisitor gives her a lopsided grin as he lets her lift his head, he reaches out a finger to direct her face towards his so he can lean in and press a gently kiss to her mouth.  
  
“So bold with your public affection today” Lady Pentaghast sighs mimicking him when he pulls back from her, she could spend all day kissing this man and never get bored of the way he tastes.

“See there are advantages to hiding behind my throne, I can kiss you without being spotted” The Inquisitor flashes her a small smile again leaning down to kiss her again as if to prove his point.  
  
“I’m sure you could have found somewhere more comfortable” The Seeker sighs looking around her to see that they are indeed mostly hidden from the rest of the Great Hall by the tall expanse of his throne. She chuckles as he reaches to slam his book closed sliding it off of his lap. “The History Of The Chantry” Cassandra reads in large gold letters on the front of the tome.

“Volume One” The Inquisitor laughs kicking it away with the heel of his boot. “I have a long way to go yet.. From memory I believe there to be 8 volumes all as page turning as this one” He adds watching as Cassandra begins shrugging her coat off of her shoulders and down her arms, he places his hands on her shoulders helping her remove her coat discarding it with her gloves.  
  
“Haven’t you read them before?” The Seeker asks raising her eyebrow slightly, she knew the Inquisitor came from a family that dedicated their lives to the Chantry and those books would be standard reading for a young Lord, she also knew that her young Lord had been the youngest son and imagined he got away with not doing a lot of things he was supposed to as a child.  
  
“Have you?” The Inquisitor huffs trying to change the subject when Cassandra begins nodding, of course she had. Cover to cover several times, being a Seeker had been about more than just swinging a sword and she could never have been the right hand to the Divine if she didn’t know the history. “Your cold” He adds when his hands come into contact with her now bare arms.  
  
“I think its going to snow soon” Cassandra sighs when the Inquisitor wraps his arm around her shoulders pulling her tighter against his body, he moves his other arm around her waist enveloping her in his warmth. The Seeker smiles to herself when he nuzzles his mouth against her hair, always willing to show his affection to her “Soon the paths will be blocked again and we will struggle to move around at any speed or in any great number,” She adds tucking herself beneath his chin.  
  
“I guess that is why I still haven’t received word from Ostwick” The Inquisitor frowns slightly directing his eyes to the floor, The Seeker suddenly sits up making him drop his arms around her.  
  
“I’m sorry, I almost forgot..” Cassandra says hurriedly, she reaches for her discarded coat reaching into it to retrieve the letter she had been holding onto so tightly. “This arrived for you” She adds giving him an apologetic smile noticing that he doesn’t look upset at all that she’d forgotten but actually excited.  
  
“Is it from Henry?” The Inquisitor asks sitting up straight, reaching for the letter that she holds out to him. The Seeker had of course seen the dark green ribbon tied securely around the parchment with the matching green wax seal stamped with the Trevelyan Crest. Lord Trevelyan gives her a smile when his eyes land on the seal, he’d been waiting for this for days.  
  
“I didn’t read it” Cassandra says feeling herself smile at his visible happiness. “You know I don’t read anything that arrives for you” The Seeker adds watching her lover carefully untie the ribbon, slipping his nimble finger beneath the wax to break the bond.

“Leliana does” He chuckles “I wouldn’t mind if you did” The Inquisitor mumbles his attention having moved from her to the parchment he holds in his palms. The Seeker sees his eyes move quickly over the words as if he is in a hurry to read the contents.  
  
“Its private” Lady Pentaghast laughs wrapping her arm around his shoulders again, resting her chin on her arm watching him. Cassandra watches a smile tug at the corner of his mouth again when he reads something that pleases him. “It is between you and your brother, if you chose to tell me what he says that is your decision” The Seeker says again not being able to take her eyes off of him reading.  
  
Lady Pentaghast had spent a lot of time trying to learn as much as she could about The Trevelyan’s and Ostwick since she had met his family and they had made their intentions to marry known. The Seeker and Inquisitor had spent many an hour late into the night discussing their families and the lives that they had come from before they met. Cassandra’s current family history didn’t take as long to describe as the Inquisitor’s but she was grateful that the whole Trevelyan family had been so welcoming to her.

“He asks after you,” The Inquisitor smiles, turning his attention to her again. “He says he hopes to be able to join us for the wedding and plans to arrive with my parents” Lord Trevelyan adds with a grin, he looks back to the letter again. “He says that Elliot and Jack have grown..” Cassandra notices the smile fade slightly as he tries to shake the sadness she knows he feels of missing out on seeing his Nephews growing up. Her lover looked forward to the letters from home and would wait anxiously for their arrival; they would arrive always on time and always with love and well wishes from his family. The Seeker longed to have someone worrying about her from Nevarra, but there was no one.  
  
“I know you miss them,” The Seeker whispers quietly to him as he nods with a small sniff. “We should go and see them before the boys grow anymore than they already have. We will soon have our hands even more full with our wedding and the baby..” Cassandra adds when he directs his eyes to her again.  
  
“We could do that?” The Inquisitor asks his eyes widening slightly, they both knew Ostwick was no easy journey and would take weeks to complete even before they had to cross the ocean. Cassandra remembered doing the journey well from Nevarra, which was to the West of his home the Free Marches, and was sure she hadn’t imagined how far it had felt at the time.  
  
“They are your family” Cassandra smiles catching the grin appear on his face again. “Why wait till they visit for the wedding? We could see if we could fit some Inquisition visits in along the way and then spend a few days with them. I know how much Henry means to you” The Seeker sees her lover nod again. “We could tell your parents our news together face to face.. And I want to meet him before its too late for him to warn you, not to marry me” Cassandra chuckles making her Inquisitor laugh again, he wraps his arm around her pulling her into a hug.

“My parents have told him nothing but good things” Lord Trevelyan replies placing a hand on her cheek, she feels herself flush under his thumb when he strokes her soft skin.  
  
“Just wait until they find out I have corrupted their beautiful son and am carrying his child out of wedlock,” Cassandra laughs seeing him chuckle and shake his head. “They will be horrified when we turn up asking for shared quarters so we can sleep together in sin under their roof” The Seeker whispers to him pulling a shocked face. “The scandal of it all” She giggles.  
  
“Better the news soon, than when they arrive for our wedding and see you fit to burst” The Inquisitor laughs receiving a jab in the ribs. “I mean that in a good way Cassandra” He laughs again seeing her frown “Glowing my beautiful bride, is what I meant” He adds trying to avoid her wrath.

“I can’t wait” The Seeker gives him another smile when he strokes his fingers through her hair again.  
  
“You will love him..” The Inquisitor replies finding it hard to wipe the smile from his face. Cassandra moves her hand to his neck, rubbing her fingers against a small curl of his own hair behind his ear, that is getting too long compared to his usual short cut.

“Of course I will if he is anything like the rest of your family” The Seeker leans in to press a gentle kiss against his cheek enjoying sharing in his happiness. “If he is anything like you,” Cassandra adds making him shake his head, she places her hands on his chest.  
  
"I could only hope to be half the man he is” The Inquisitor says with a nod. “There is no one as great as my brother, Seeker” Lord Trevelyan doesn’t catch the small downturn of her mouth when Cassandra thinks of her own brother Anthony.  
  
“You can meet the boys, too” Lord Trevelyan wriggles excitedly next to her. “And his wife Annabelle” He adds rolling the parchment up again, tucking it back into her coat. He scoops her up in his arms again squeezing her tightly against him. Cassandra cant help but laugh seeing his pure joy at the idea of taking them to Ostwick to meet his brother and his brothers wife and children.  
  
Lady Pentaghast always enjoyed hearing about his brother Henry Trevelyan, he was the eldest of the three Trevelyan boys and she knew her Inquisitor idolized him. He would recall tales of growing up in Ostwick with his brothers, him being the much younger of the three and the time that he spent with Henry being some his fondest memories.  
  
“I wish you could have met Anthony” Lady Pentaghast sighs slightly when he notices family is always an upsetting subject for his Seeker. She smiles again when her Inquisitor glances around to check they aren’t being watched so he can kiss her trying to chase away her sadness. Cassandra sighs against his mouth for a whole other reason when she slides her arms around his neck.  
  
“I wish I could have too..” The Inquisitor whispers, pressing his forehead to hers. “I would thank him for everything he did to help you when your parents were gone, and to guide you to this life so that I had the chance to find you” Lord Trevelyan adds placing his hands on her back. “Or fall from the sky at the right moment and into your custody” He laughs making her smile again.  
  
“You don’t give yourself enough credit for the man that you are, the man that you are becoming” Lady Pentaghast moves her hand to his face gently rubbing the scar on his lip making him give her a bashful smile. “So that is even more reason for me to meet this Lord Trevelyan that my sweet Inquisitor adores so much” She adds as he moves his mouth to kiss her thumb.  
  
In the Inquisitors eyes, Henry Trevelyan was a true hero and could do no wrong. He had been groomed and prepared his entire life to take over as the head of the family and continue to keep house Trevelyan a prosperous one. He had always been kept busy, as Ashton had told her, making sure that he grew up to become the perfect Lord. The Seeker had learnt very quickly that her Inquisitor had no want to talk about the middle brother, Daniel Trevelyan, so she was sure she didn’t bring him up again.  
  
“I adore you,” The Inquisitor replies, nuzzling his mouth against the palm of her hand. “The idea of sleeping with you, in sin, in my old room does sound very appealing to me” Lord Trevelyan gives her his best cheeky grin.  
  
“Do you really think they will have left your quarters the same?” Cassandra laughs giving him a gentle poke in the chest when he lets his hands wonder to her waist. “We are hardly alone enough for you to be doing that” The Seeker sighs when he leans forward to press his mouth to her neck. “Behave yourself” Cassandra hisses placing her hands on his shoulders pushing him away slightly trying to hide her giggle.  
  
“Why would my room not be the same?” The Inquisitor asks leaning back to look at her, giving her a questioning look.  
  
“They were probably relived to get rid of you” The Seeker replies giving her own cheeky smile to show she is trying to rile him. “I’m sure they have turned it into library or something useful” She adds with a laugh when he begins poking his fingers into her sides trying to tickle her. “Stop” Cassandra laughs grabbing at his hands, she looks around them to see if anyone has heard their noise.  
  
“We already have three libraries,” The Inquisitor whispers when he pauses his hands at her waist again. “My parents were heartbroken when I told them I wasn’t returning to Ostwick” Lord Trevelyan chuckles.  
  
“Hmm” Cassandra replies “I cannot understand why, you are so untidy and never help out around the house” Cassandra giggles making the Inquisitor snort and start tickling her again, making her scream. The Seeker brings her hand up to her mouth, slowly leaning around the side of the throne to see that everyone has stopped their conversations and are looking straight in their direction.  
  
“Cass” The Inquisitor laughs quietly leaning around the other side of his throne, when he sees eyes staring at him he leans back to hide again. He wriggles down from his sitting position to hide himself further, glancing over at her. “You always get me in trouble.. I’ll get my ear chewed off by Lady Montilyet for not acting appropriately for a Lord” He adds pouting slightly.

“I told you to stop” The Seeker bites her bottom lip trying to fight back another laugh watching as her lover begins contemplating his next move. “I guess we will have to find somewhere else to misbehave” Cassandra gives him a small smile.

“I’m sure we can find an alternative place to share our sinful love together,” Lord Trevelyan laughs, his eyes travelling to her bottom lip. “Somewhere with a soft bed” He adds leaning over to kiss her again, letting her move to run her hand through his hair.

“Maybe the great Lord Inquisitor would like to take me to his quarters and I can show him how well I can kneel before him” Cassandra giggles again when the Inquisitor catches her eyes with his as if that is the best idea he has ever heard. He pulls away from her, climbing to his feet quickly holding his hand out to her.

“Leave the book,” He hisses again as she reaches to pick it up. “Its dull and I have much better ways of occupying my time this evening” He laughs guiding her up to her feet too, he slips his fingers through hers moving quickly with her to their quarters, ignoring the questioning looks from the people gathered in the Great Hall.


	2. Lord Henry William Trevelyan 2nd

Lady Pentaghast sighs placing her hands against the cold stone, glad for her thick leather gloves that are keeping her fingers from turning to ice but still wishing she could be in back in the warmth of her Requisition Office or even better in front of the fire in the Great Hall. She stamps from one foot to the other, trying to keep warm as she leans forward against the low stone wall looking down into the training yard. From here she can watch the Inquisition forces being drilled, but still manage to keep out of the way. She glances up at the grey sky that threatens to drop snow on them at any moment before looking back at The Spymaster that mirrors her position next to her. Leliana wraps her scarf tighter around her neck giving The Seeker a smile, she too looked cold but they were both wrapped up in their coats and gloves so they could be outside.  
  
“Find a Fortress in the Mountains they said” Leliana mumbles adjusting her scarf further. “It will be safe and protected from attack” She adds with a snort. “They didn’t mention the cold though did they?” The Spymaster sighs wrapping her arms around herself.  
  
“I hadn’t noticed” The Seeker says turning to give her a smile making Leliana laugh and shake her head. “Maybe you need to find a warm body to keep you from the cold at night” Cassandra adds with a smirk. “I know I’ve hardly noticed the change at all, having Lord Trevelyan to warm my toes” The Seeker smiles again turning her attention back to the yard.

“I am sure your toes are not all he warms” Leliana giggles leaning against the wall again, she looks down into the yard at what has got Lady Pentaghast’s attention so strongly and sees that the Inquisitor is currently giving out orders to some of the men and having them run through some drills in front of him. “I think the warmest of bodies is currently attending to your needs,” The Spymaster adds glancing to her friend again receiving another laugh from Cassandra.  
  
The Seeker watches as the Inquisitor places his hands on his hips watching his army, every now and then commenting on something they are doing and adjusting their actions. The Commander Cullen walks around the edge of the formations also giving out orders and showing off his men to their leader, he keeps glancing to his friend for approval. Cullen approaches the Inquisitor and leans in to say something to him causing Lord Trevelyan to nod and leans back to give his response. Cassandra smiles when she sees The Inquisitor pat The Commander on the shoulder laughing at something he has said.

“Tighter formation” The Commander Cullen yells over the noise of his soldier’s boots that are stamping in perfect time, crunching into the icy grass. He glances to the Inquisitor again when Lord Trevelyan gives him more orders, nodding in agreement and understanding.  
  
“He is very handsome” Leliana says nudging The Seekers shoulder with hers, drawing Cassandra’s eyes away from the Inquisitor who is standing proud with his arms across his broad chest again.  
  
“He really is” Cassandra replies quietly suddenly feeling herself blush when The Inquisitor notices her watching him, he nods his head to show he has spotted her and brings his hand up from where his arms are crossed in a small wave. “I’m not supposed to distract him,” The Seeker adds giving her lover a smile that he returns, still pretending to be official and in charge. The Commander notices The Inquisitor is no longer paying attention and looks up to see that they have an audience.  
  
“Who is handsome? Are you talking about me again?” Dorian asks when he moves to join the pair leaning over the wall himself, he looks down into the yard at the Inquisitor and then back to Leliana and Cassandra. Cassandra watches him draw his long leather coat tighter around his body, placing his own gloved hands against the stone.  
  
“We were talking about the Inquisitor” Leliana giggles when Dorian creates an ‘Oh’ shape with his mouth before puffing a cloud of his breath into the air. Cassandra feels herself blush again suddenly having all eyes on her lover, she knew he was perfect and very much admired everywhere he went.

“Handsome doesn’t even begin to cover it..” Dorian laughs wrapping his arm around The Seekers shoulder, pulling her against his side. “Our Lady Seeker is a very lucky Lady indeed.. He’s tall, dark and handsome. With those deep brown eyes that you could get lost in, those rippling muscles and abs of stone” He sighs as Cassandra tries to wriggle out of his hold.  
  
“Dorian” Cassandra snorts lifting his arm. “Don’t start” The Seeker laughs when he places his hands on the stone again, she shakes her head at him making his mouth draw into a large smile.  
  
“Not to mention the sweet and sensitive side.. Who knew Free Marchers could be so rugged and enticing?” Dorian laughs making her sigh again. “I’m sorry, I wont mention how dreamy he is again” The Mage smiles looking back down at The Inquisitor and then back at Lady Pentaghast. “I personally think you could do much better than him, anyway” Dorian chuckles making the Seeker and Spymaster laugh.  
  
“Have you found anything interesting or are you just here to stare at my Rugged Free Marcher?” The Seeker says giving him a smile when he looks to her again. “Did you find anything out about his other brother?” Cassandra asks again letting her eyes go back to the rest on her lover who is now showing one of the soldiers a move with his blade. Lady Pentaghast watches him shrug his coat off so that he can demonstrate better, rolling his sleeves up his arms so as to not get tangled up with anyone’s blade.

“Do you not have any faith in me at all?” Dorian asks giving her a smirk “Of course I have found something interesting, some of us have better things to do than drool over him all day” The Mage chuckles bringing his gloved hand up to his face, he brushes his mustache with his finger as if thinking.  
  
“Well? What did you find out?” The Spymaster asks standing up from her leaning position to get closer to the Tevinter. Dorian beckons them both closer with one finger so that he can lower his voice.

“Did you know that the Inquisitor’s brother is a Templar?” Dorian whispers to them both making The Seeker frown slightly. “I found almost a whole chapter about him in a book” He adds glancing between their faces.  
  
“Really?” Leliana asks sounding surprised, Cassandra watches Dorian nod proudly at his discovery. “Daniel is a Templar?” She asks again, her eyes widening.  
  
“No, not Daniel.. I didn’t find anything about Daniel Trevelyan. I’m talking about Henry,” The Mage says quietly as The Seeker catches his eye.  
  
“It makes sense..” Cassandra whispers to them both. “The Trevelyan’s are known for their strong support of the Chantry.. Many of Ashton’s relatives have been in both the Seekers and the Templars” Lady Pentaghast nods trying to decipher the information. “He has close connections with the Chantry so it would not be unusual that his eldest brother is a Templar” The Seeker adds, not unusual but it didn’t add up at all.  
  
“I thought you said his older brother is married?” Leliana asks looking to Cassandra, The Seeker just shrugs. “With children?” She adds.

“Not all Templars remain unwed..” Dorian adds, Cassandra feels herself getting more and more confused about the news she’s been given. No, not all Templars remained unwed but the majority of them remained with the order until their last days and never settled down to have a family. Relationships between Templars was forbidden and a spouse and children were seen as nothing but distractions from the cause.  
  
“Can I see this book?” Cassandra asks meeting Dorian’s eyes with hers. The Mage just nods gently giving her a small smile, he had after all managed to find out the information for her even if it wasn’t for the right brother.  
  
“Of course Lady Pentaghast” Dorian smiles again “I have it just inside, I knew you would want to see for yourself” He adds nodding towards Skyhold. The Seeker glances over the wall again and into the yard, her lover was busy and paying attention to his soldiers and the Commander again. As much as she loved watching him taking charge and being the Inquisitor, she was desperate to find out more about the family she was going to be marrying into.

“Lets go” Leliana whispers again beckoning for them both to follow her, Cassandra looks over her shoulder again as she follows the Spymaster and Dorian across the courtyard. She sees The Inquisitor look up again giving her a questioning look as to where she is going; Cassandra brings her hand up to her mouth to kiss her palm before blowing it to her lover making him smile. The Seeker sees a messenger approach him with another letter that he takes, quickly tearing it open.  
  
“I would have thought he would have mentioned if Henry is a Templar, surely he would have wondered if I already knew him?” The Seeker mumbles to the back of her friend’s heads as they climb the stairs.

“It is a big Order Cassandra, maybe he didn’t think it mattered” Leliana adds glancing back at her giving her a reassuring smile. “Not all Templars and Seekers know each other, maybe it just slipped his mind” The Spymaster says giving a nod.  
  
“He talks about Henry all the time” Cassandra sighs as they reach the top of the stairs, she presses her hand against the door pushing it open. The three are suddenly drawn into the warmth of the Great Hall and the Seeker notices that Dorian has left the book in question open on the table by the fire.

“See, its right here..” Dorian says as he drops down onto one of the wooden benches. The Seeker watches him begin stripping off his coat and scarf; soon his gloves join them on the table next to them. “Chapter 38 of Great Templars. Lord Henry William Trevelyan the 2nd..” He adds hunching over the book again.  
  
“Great Templars is quite an honor,” Leliana says as she sits down across from him, her coat and scarf quickly joining his as she cranes over to see where Dorian is highlighting on the page. “There have been many Great Templars,” She adds as Cassandra sits down next to Dorian, she sees him nod in agreement as he skims his finger over the page.  
  
“There is just the usual stuff here.. Fought bravely, saved many, highly awarded for his actions.. Great leader, inspired many yadah yadah yadah” Dorian begins scratching at the edge of his mouth. The Seeker shrugs out of her own leather coat, folding it before placing it on the bench beside her. She places her fingers at the edge of her gloves tugging them off, discarding them too. “It gives a brief overview of his family history and the connections the Trevelyan’s have to the Chantry and the Templars too,” Dorian mumbles tapping the page.  
  
“What else does it say?” Cassandra asks sliding closer to him so she can look over his shoulder at the page.  
  
“Oh..” Dorian suddenly says making The Seeker and the Spymaster both look at him questioningly. “There is a picture of him right here..” Dorian says his eyes narrowing a little as he looks at the drawing; Cassandra sees his brow furrow when he takes in what he sees. “He doesn’t look anything like our Lord Trevelyan.. There is clearly no family resemblance here,” The Mage mumbles turning the book towards The Seeker.  
  
“Oh..” Cassandra says, the word tumbling from her mouth when she drops her eyes to the page that is being directed towards her. She takes in the picture that is present at the bottom of the page thinking Dorian was right; he looked nothing like the Inquisitor at all. Staring back at her from the page is the complete opposite to her lover in everyway; she takes in the head full of light blonde hair, the narrow face and nose, the light skin and finally the bright piercing blue eyes. The Seeker had seen those eyes before and they belonged to Lord Trevelyan’s Mother.

“He’s beautiful,” Leliana says leaning over to look at the picture. “Look at those eyes” She adds also taking in all the sharp features of the other Lord Trevelyan. “He must get his looks from his Mother” The Spymaster says making Cassandra nod in agreement. “How strange..” She muses as The Seeker draws her eyes away from the picture to read the caption underneath. Lord Daniel Augustus Trevelyan the 3rd.  
  
“That’s not Henry” Cassandra says suddenly sitting up higher, she points to the label beneath the picture. “That is Daniel” The Seeker says again suddenly feeling overwhelmed and strange to have stumbled across a picture of the man she knew bought so much pain to her Inquisitor every time he even thought about him. She brings her hands up to her mouth wondering if she should have ever meddled in this and been so nosey.

“So they are both Templars?” Dorian asks looking puzzled, he looks between Cassandra and the book trying to decide what is happening and they have discovered. “Why would they both be in here unless they are both Templars?” He hmms again.

“No” Leliana says her eyes widening. “It says here that Henry was a Templar, the important word being ‘was’ a Templar” The Spymaster lowers her voice as she continues reading. “It says that he was a great Templar and was heading towards being a Knight Commander” She adds her eyes moving quickly over the page.

“So he isn’t a Templar anymore?” Cassandra asks frowning; she notices Leliana glances at her and then back at the page. “What does it say?” She asks setting her eyes fixed on the Spymaster.  
  
“It says that he was a Templar until he was placed on trial for refusing to carry out orders that he was given. It says that they went lightly on him because of the unusual circumstances surrounding the situation and because of how high in regard he was held. It says that he at one point faced execution but that the Chantry intervened and had him spared.. It says he wish dismissed and had his Templar titles stripped from him” Leliana says biting her bottom lip as if she doesn’t want to read anymore,  
  
“How awful.. Execution? What did he do that could have been so bad for that to happen to him? Poor Henry..” The Seeker says quietly as she Leliana’s eyes trying to get her to continue.  
  
“It says that he was in charge of a mission to track down a very dangerous Blood Mage that had killed hundreds of other innocents and mages in their circle and escaped into Ostwick” The Spymaster lowers her voice again knowing any mention of Blood Mages would upset Cassandra.

“Blood mages?” The Seeker asks trying to swallow down the lump in her throat, she would never forgive that Blood Mage for what he did to her brother and never trust Mages completely again. Why would such a high ranking Templar fail to track down and kill a Blood Mage, it was what they were trained for.  
  
“It says that he refused to end the life of the Blood Mage after he had captured him” The Spymaster adds noticing that both The Seeker and Dorian are leaning so close to her they might as well be sat on her lap. “It says that the Blood Mage was Daniel” Leliana chokes out the final words as Cassandra feels the colour begin draining from her face.  
  
“Daniel” Cassandra mumbles, not really taking in everything she’s just heard. “His brother is a Blood Mage?” The Seeker asks looking to Dorian who avoids her eyes. “Is that why he kept this from me?” Cassandra feels a wave of nausea wash over her even thinking about the atrocities Daniel Trevelyan must have committed to have the full force of the Templars after him, including his own brother that was almost put to death for not ending his life. Murderer. “Why didn’t he tell me?” She asks shaking her head slowly feeling like her jaw has hit the table.  
  
“Its not a very nice thing to have to tell someone that you love, Seeker” Dorian replies quietly as Cassandra swallows hard again. “Oh by the way My Darling, my brilliant and brave big brother is a Templar and guess what My Sweetie, he had to hunt down my murdering crazy blood mage brother and kill him” Dorian adds with a dry laugh. “I can understand why he wanted to pretend he doesn’t exist” The Mage adds glancing at the book again. “I’m sure he thought he was saving you the pain of dragging up the past,” Dorian adds as he reaches out to place his hand over the Seekers, trying to offer her comfort.  
  
“This is Henry..” Leliana says turning the page and coming face to face with a full page sized drawing of the brave Templar. “Here see.. The Inquisitor does look very much like him,” The Spymaster adds rotating the book so The Seeker can see. “Look at his kind face, he looks much older but you can see what a good man he is” Leliana catches Cassandra’s eyes giving her a smile to reassure her. “It doesn’t mean anything.. Every family has a Black Sheep, it doesn’t mean the Inquisitor would ever be the same as his brother,” She add with a nod.  
  
The Seeker sniffs trying to force the tears that are threatening to fall, away. The Inquisitor had failed to share this information with her about his family and it hurt. Cassandra had opened up about everything to do with her loss and lack of family ties; she had sobbed her heart out in his arms about the death of brother at the hands of a crazy murderous blood mage. But he hadn’t told her that such a mage shared his blood, shared his family and his childhood. He had not interrupted her or tried to stop her when she screamed about her rage and the years of wanting vengeance, wanting to kill that mage. He had soothed her anger and told her she was better than revenge.  
  
“He does look like my Ashton..” Lady Pentaghast sniffs again when she looks down at the picture. This time staring back at her is a grand looking handsome Templar. Dressed in his finest armor that shines brightly, clutching his shield and sword against his chest as if it is the most natural thing in the world. He looks proud and brave; a man that would inspire anyone that followed him. The Seeker looks to his face, such a kind warm face with deep brown eyes and dark hair. A strong jaw and a look of confidence, but a kind soul behind his eyes. Cassandra smiles lightly when she sees how much her lover looks like his brother. The Seeker wondered if this is how the Inquisitor would look if he didn’t have the constant worry behind his eyes and the weight of the world making him slump.  
  
“See, they are nothing like Daniel” Dorian adds looking down at the picture, he watches as the Seeker continues to gaze at the page. Cassandra brings her hand up to cover part of the picture, first the bottom of his face so she can only see his eyes and then his amour so she can just see his head. “You know the Inquisitor is a good man..” The Mage adds watching her carefully.  
  
“My Inquisitor is much more handsome” Cassandra says with a quiet laugh to herself making Dorian and Leliana breath a sigh of relief. “My Lord has eyes that are kinder.. And he has a little dimple in his chin..” The Seeker adds thinking about her lover with a small smile. “But he should have told me, I wouldn’t have judged him”  
  
“Don’t be cross with him Cassandra” Dorian places his hand over hers again brushing his fingers against her skin. “It must be painful for him to even think about his brother, he probably wants to continue his life without him. Who knows how long its been since they saw each other, maybe not for years” The Mage adds trying to make her smile again.

“Don’t push him for answers, Seeker. I’m sure if he feels it’s important enough to tell you, he will. Just enjoy getting to know Henry and his family and forget about Daniel. Sometimes it huts too much to keep opening old scars” Leliana says quietly watching Cassandra nod, she would let her lover keep this to himself and if he ever decided to tell her the whole story of Daniel Trevelyan she would be ready to listen and sooth his pain.  



	3. Choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How am I doing with chapters? You guys doing alright?.. :)

“I think if we can secure the area..” The Inquisitor, Lord Trevelyan begins leaning over the war table, pointing to a small spot with his finger. “This is where the reports have been coming from is it not?” He asks directing his eyes to his Spy Master, who nods in confirmation before settling on his Seeker. He looks worried, again. Lady Pentaghast watches him drop his eyes back to the map that is currently holding his attention, she watches him bite his bottom lip and his brow creases in deep thought. The Seeker hoped this would be resolved soon, she had another letter for the Inquisitor from his brother, burning a hole in her pocket.  
  
“Yes Inquisitor, on the roads outside Jader. A 3 day ride from here..” Lady Pentaghast replies as he returns his gaze to her, he gives her a small smile looking grateful for her being there and always at his side when he needed her. Cassandra knew that he found it difficult having so much responsibility placed on his shoulders and so many people needing his help, but he did the best that he could and worked tirelessly to get to everyone. The Seeker knew they had been receiving reports for weeks from this area that people were being attacked on the trade routes and routes to Skyhold. The Inquisition had decided that they needed to intervene and stop these attacks happening but with two arguing noble houses in the vicinity, they didn’t want to upset the balance and cause more problems for the local villages.  
  
“We need to get the trade routes open” The Inquisitor says again leaning back from his position at the table, he crosses his arm across his stomach using it to rest his other elbow on. The Seeker watches him rub his fingers against his chin trying to decide what the best plan of action might be. “I don’t want any more casualties on the road and I wont have people dying in their homes because their supplies have been stopped” Cassandra knew that the situation was difficult; both noble houses blamed each other for the attacks, throwing accusations around that it was sabotage and an attempt to besmirch each others good names. The attacks had caused trade to slow and had meant those brave enough to attempt to reach them had started increasing their prices, but most of all their biggest concern was the regular families that were caught in the middle and quickly running out of food. They had arguing nobles marching their soldiers all over their homes and bandits taking advantage of the situation to burn them to the ground.

“They did nothing to deserve being caught in the middle of this situation” The Seeker adds as the Inquisitor just ‘Hmms’ and nods in reply. “Both of the Lords have blocked the route with their men, they aren’t letting supplies pass in either direction” Cassandra says leaning over the map; she taps the spot on the trade route where both have set up their sieges. “Those people will die if we don’t do something soon” The Seeker watches his eyes move to her again, she knew he didn’t need more peoples deaths on his hands but they had the chance to fix this.  
  
“Maybe we can meet with them both, discuss the issues and try and resolve this before it turns into all out war” Lady Montilyet sighs placing her hands on her hips. “Its not too late for diplomacy” She adds with a small smile and nod.  
  
“They are both as stubborn as each other” The Commander sighs shaking his head, he crosses his arms over his chest. “I don’t think diplomacy will work this time. We need to secure the area with our troops and force both of them back to their own lands. We can keep them both at bay while we deal with the bandit problem” Cullen adds unfolding his arms, placing both his hands on the hard wood.

“We risk war with them both if we go in with a heavy hand” Leliana, the Spymaster adds voicing her concerns. “You know I believe in action but we risk endangering more people if our action is too strong,” Leliana says again looking to the Inquisitor. Everyone knew that he wanted to help and get things done, but his biggest concern was always the common man that got dragged into these situations.  
  
“We need to be seen as strong, Leliana” Cullen replies banging his palm onto the war table. “We have a military force for a reason and this is it. You have provided us with the Intel and now we need to move in with our men. We haven’t got time to waste on talking with them, move them both out of the way and deal with the bandits” The Commander says again, The Seeker feels him focus on her as if expecting her to back him up because she is a woman of military action too.  
  
“If Lady Montilyet can get the support of the Nobility, If we can get them to put aside their differences and see that the bandit problem is caused by their squabbling.. They could lend us aid,” Leliana says again shaking her head at the Commander.  
  
“We don’t need their aid. We need them to unblock the road so we can hold the area. Why rely on their armies? I can have my men sweep the entire area in less time than you can arrange for any meeting between them..” The Commander says confidently placing his hands on his hips again.  
  
“You would risk everyone so easily?” Leliana huffs, turning to look at the Commander. “If you march your men in there and the Lords resist we will have two armies to deal with, let alone the bandits that take advantage of the unrest to attack, rob and kill people” The Spy Master says again.

“If we don’t deal with this immediately with force, the people starve. If the weather turns we will never get to them in time. We need to act now,” Cullen says again beginning to raise his voice.  
  
“If we deal with this with force rather than carefully, those people will be killed when their homes are turned into a battlefield.. Not to mention the casualties from both side if this goes to war” The Spymaster snaps. “Your concern is not the villagers, Commander. You just want to get your men into the field to Intimidate and make people afraid of us” Leliana shakes her head when she sees the Commander roll his eyes.  
  
“My concern is getting the job done. We don’t need help with dealing with some bandits” Commander Cullen huffs back at her.  
  
“This is more than a few bandits, Commander” Leliana snarls back at him. “They are heavily armed and organised, this isn’t some petty criminals” She adds crossing her own arms.

The Seeker glances at her lover again who is now rubbing the space on the bridge of his nose, looking to be at a loss as to what choice he should make. She watches him turn his back on them all, his head slumping a little having to hear his advisors squabble behind him.  
  
“Enough, both of you” Lady Pentaghast snaps giving both of them a cool glare. “You are not helping,” She adds watching as her friends both suddenly close their mouths and stop their bickering. Cassandra nods towards the Inquisitor to show them both they aren’t helping him with his decisions, they both drop their eyes feeling ashamed that they had let it get so heated when both of them clearly have such strong views.

“Maybe we should take a moment,” Lady Montilyet whispers looking between her friends. “If you need to get some air Lord Trevelyan” She adds watching him shake his head, he didn’t need some air.  
  
“Whatever I decide, people will die” The Inquisitor replies turning to face them again, he places his hands on the war table trailing his eyes over the information in front of him again. The Seeker wished she could comfort him whenever she had to stand and watch him rip his own heart out and blame himself every time these decisions were forced on him to make. “How do I decide whose life is more important?” He sighs shaking his head. Risk causing a war, potentially gaining even greater numbers of causalities but ensuring the locals survived and having the Inquisition face the bandits alone or risk the villagers starving but ensuring a diplomatic solution was reached so that they had help in dealing with the bandits.

“You don’t have to decide now, Inquisitor” Lady Pentaghast replies trying to restrain herself from throwing her arms around him to reassure him that he was doing the best he could. The Seeker couldn’t help but feel responsible for his pain; she had after all failed to find both the Warden of Ferelden and Hawke to lead the Inquisition. It had been partly her doing that Lord Trevelyan had been enlisted as their leader; she hadn’t given him the chance to flee like he had the right to do.  
  
“I do” The Inquisitor sighs again “Too many people have already died.. The Commander is right that they will starve if we don’t act, but I can’t risk a war. The deaths will be huge if they were to come to blows,” Lord Trevelyan adds nodding; he places his hands on his hips again biting his bottom lip.  
  
“Take a moment for yourself Inquisitor” Lady Pentaghast whispers to him, she could see he was burning himself out more and more everyday, she hoped they would be able to travel to Ostwick soon to give him and his mind some relief. The Seeker wondered how much could be placed on his shoulders before it all fell down around his ears and became too much.  
  
“I’m okay” The Inquisitor replies looking to her, he gives her a weak smile trying to reassure her. “I’m just really not the right Trevelyan for the job,” He adds with a shake of his head again. Henry would know what to do.  
  
“We will fix this” Cassandra adds moving closer to his side, she places her hand on his lower back giving him a brief moment of support. She tried to not let the lines between Inquisitor and her lover blur, especially in such an official setting, but she couldn’t stand to see him like this. “You are the best person for this job, we are lucky to have found you” The Seeker replies stroking her palm against the soft leather of his coat. The Inquisitor looks to her again silently thanking her for always believing in him.  
  
“Leliana is right that a heavy hand will cause more bloodshed” The Inquisitor begins looking a bit more confident, she sees him close his eyes rubbing his forehead again with the back of his hand. “If you believe we could reason with them Lady Montilyet” He sighs looking between them again, his friends and closest advisors were also very different people with very different ideas.  
  
“I’m sorry for my outbursts Inquisitor,” The Commander says quietly diverting his eyes to his boots. “I’m sorry for raising my voice at you Leliana” Cullen adds looking to her, she nods her head as if accepting his apology.

“I apologise for getting angry” The Spy Master replies, giving him a small smile.

“We can’t let things like this divide us,” The Inquisitor says looking to Cassandra again for comfort. “We need to work together to fix this so that it works for everyone.  
No more bloodshed but quickly and efficiently. Help me with this..” The Inquisitor adds looking back to the others. “Cullen, you need to protect the locals”  
  
“I will send men to secure the villages, protect them from the bandits and get food and supplies to them” The Commander announces. “If it would please you Inquisitor,” He adds bending his head.  
  
“Good idea” The Inquisitor nods as Cassandra starts to see her lover processing his ideas and finally looking like he is on to something. “Send enough troops that the nobles will see that we have the strength to physically intervene if we need to, but not enough to be met with hostility. Take supplies from our reserves and ensure the soldiers distribute it between everyone that needs it. Ensure that if the snow comes they will have enough to get by” Lord Trevelyan replies starting to believe they could be onto a good plan. “Lady Pentaghast will be able to get the resources you need” He glances to her again seeing her nod.  
  
“Of course Inquisitor. I will have food, medicine and supplies prepared at once to be escorted by the Commanders men” The Seeker smiles. “The Lords will have no choice but to let our forces pass their blockades when they see our numbers, but that we have peaceful intentions only”

“I will make contact with the nobles and try to reason with them” Lady Montilyet says smiling.  
  
“Invite the Lords to Skyhold, Lady Montilyet. I will meet with them personally to discuss their grievances and ensure that we come to an agreement that suits them both. Strongly suggest that they agree to my invitation” The Inquisitor says nodding “Ensure they understand it is in their best interest to keep our support and not to make us their enemy. If we can keep them busy here their armies will be divided for a time, they are bound to come here with an attaché and protection”  
  
“My scouts can keep a close watch on the criminal groups in the area” Leliana looks to the Inquisitor feeling glad that she might be able to help in some way.

“Have your men watch them” The Inquisitor nods “Find out where they are hiding and where they are attacking from.. Find out if they have a leader or are affiliated with any other group we know of” Lord Trevelyan adds, “If they even breath I want to know about it. I need everything you can get me on them. Do not provoke them, I don’t want any of our men coming to any harm” The Inquisitor’s brow furrows again when he appears deep in thought.  
  
“I understand Inquisitor” Leliana bows her head in acceptance of his orders making Cassandra smile to herself, her Inquisitor had more influence and control over things than he thought he did. He worried about his choices but she had yet to see him making the wrong one.

“This is completely a diplomatic mission. Help the people and ensure this is all about prevention of any further loss of life. Damage control and protection only” The Inquisitor says again looking back to his advisors. “I won’t have any more blood on my hands” Lord Trevelyan adds as he receives a nod and slight bow from each other them.

“Inquisitor” Commander Cullen says clicking his heels together before turning to leave the war room, Lady Pentaghast watches Leliana and Josephine also smile to their leader, both looking relieved that he hadn’t brought the ever growing force of the Inquisition down hard on the people.  
  
“Thank you Lord Trevelyan” Leliana smiles to him again before slipping out of the room with Lady Montilyet at her side.  
  
“I’m so proud of you” Cassandra says watching as he moves to the War Room door pushing it closed, he presses his hand against the wood for a moment as if catching his breath. The Seeker watches him drop his head again knowing how overwhelming he was finding it.  
  
“You shouldn’t be proud that I have killed so many people with my choices” The Inquisitor replies shaking his head, he moves away from the door to approach her.  
  
“You have saved so many more” The Seeker says reaching out for him as he walks to her, he steps into her waiting arms letting her wrap herself around him. “I’m proud  
because you make the decisions that no one else is brave enough to make. I’m proud because you are the bravest man I know and I’m proud to be at your side” Cassandra says pressing her lips against his ear as he rests his head against hers. “We’ll get to them all in time, we’ll stop anymore bloodshed and they will be safe before the winter” The Seeker adds stroking her hands up his back.  
  
“Why are you so perfect?” The Inquisitor asks leaning back from her; he places his hands on her cheeks settling his eyes on hers. “What did I ever do to deserve you?” He asks her again seeing the blush under his hands, she places her hands on his arms always feeling so exposed under his gaze.  
  
“What did I do to deserve you?” Cassandra laughs when he leans in nuzzling his mouth against her cheek; she bats him away feeling the stubble on his chin scratch her. “So rugged” The Seeker giggles when he rubs his hand over his chin. “I have a letter for you..” Cassandra adds seeing a smile finally appear on his face.  
  
“Really?” The Inquisitor asks tilting his head slightly; he takes her hand in his moving towards the War Table. The Seeker watches her lover perch on the edge, pulling her closer to stand between his feet. “Why don’t you read it?” He adds placing his hands on her hips his eyes meeting hers again.  
  
“Have you forgotten how to?” Cassandra chuckles making him smile. “Okay I will read it” The Seeker sighs reaching for the letter that she has tucked away safely.  
  
Lady Pentaghast slides her fingers over the ribbon untying it, using her fingertips to break the wax seal like she has seen him do so many times before. She wondered if someday soon she would be sealing her own letters with the Trevelyan seal, she would soon be a lady of this house. She carefully unrolls the piece of parchment, her eyes being immediately drawn to the beautiful inked handwriting that covers the page. It is obvious that the hand of a man has written it but a lot of care and effort has been placed into the words. It is nothing like her own Inquisitors illegible scrawl, but a real work of good penmanship.  
  
“My Dearest Ashton..” Cassandra begins looking up to look into his face; she sees a small smile tug at the corner of his mouth as if nothing could make him happier at that moment. The Seeker clears her throat not wanting him to lose a single word. “My Dearest Ashton, I write to you today with great hope that I find you well. I hear the news of your adventures and achievements even here in Ostwick..” Cassandra pauses for a moment wondering if she should be reading his personal letters.  
  
“Its okay.. Carry on” The Inquisitor says reassuring her, he gives her a smile to show its fine for her to know everything in the letter. The Seeker feels his fingers gently press into her hips drawing her closer to him, she turns in his arms leaning against him so he can wrap his arms around her from behind. “Read it to me” Lord Trevelyan says again resting his head against hers.  
  
“Word of the Inquisition and the work that you do always brings me so much joy. I know that whatever happens my dearest brother; you have the chance to change the world. I am so proud of you…” Cassandra whispers feeling a lump form in her own throat and hears her love sigh. “I knew that you would always do great things and make a positive mark on the world. I always hoped that you wouldn’t try and walk in my footsteps and would forge your own path. Mother and Father spend their days both worrying about your absence and celebrating your life. One thing I cannot fathom is that you would chose to find yourself in the cold mountains when we know you worship the sun. How are the spiders? Have you grown out of your fear?” The Seeker hears the Inquisitor laugh.  
  
“I am scared of spiders,” He adds with a chuckle. “One disadvantage of Thedas” He sighs shaking his head making Cassandra smile. “What else does he say?”  
  
“I jest with you my lord Inquisitor. I know you fear nothing with such an army at your feet. I hope most importantly your fair Lady Pentaghast is well and you are both happy and basking in the beautiful life you are building together..” The Seeker hears her Inquisitor chuckle again. “The ultimate reasoning for my letter this afternoon isn’t just to remind you that we miss you, that we love you and that we look forward to seeing you but that I do have some wonderful news to share with you” Lady Pentaghast laughs when she feels the Inquisitor raise his head wondering what the news might be, he tries to read it over her shoulder but she pulls the letter away.  
  
“Let me see what he says” The Inquisitor laughs trying to grab the letter from her hands; she pulls it away from him again moving out of his arms. “Cass.” The Inquisitor huffs reaching out again asking her to hand it over.  
  
“Would you like to read the last bit?” The Seeker asks lifting the letter higher not wanting to read the last bit herself until he is ready. “You read it,” She adds holding the parchment out to him. Cassandra watches the Inquisitor take hold of it in both his hands and begin reading back through the letter to try and find where she had got up to. When he finds the part she stopped reading at he clears his throat.  
  
“I do have some wonderful news to share with you.. My Dear Ashton, my brother. I plan to visit you in your home so I can meet your future wife; I will make plans to leave as soon as possible and will keep you informed of my journey. I wanted to tell you face to face but Annabelle tells me I am impatient and would not get through the gates without spilling our news. We have been blessed by the Maker once more and I can tell you that you will once again become an Uncle” The Inquisitor reads his voice quietening until its almost a whisper. “An Uncle again..” Lord Trevelyan replies looking up at The Seeker.  
  
“That is wonderful news” Cassandra laughs throwing her arms around his neck seeing a huge smile break out onto his face “Another cousin for our child.. Maybe they will close in age” The Seeker says excitedly. “I’m so happy for you” She adds as he wraps his arms around her tightly.  
  
“He is coming to Skyhold..” Lord Trevelyan laughs lifting Cassandra off of her feet in excitement.  



	4. The Sharp End

Lady Pentaghast moves to the dresser in their quarters gathering together the resources that she is going to need to complete the job at hand, she wraps the white cotton sheet tighter around her body tucking the end in to hold it closed. The Seeker picks up the small bowl and wooden box that she is going to need, she glances over her shoulder at the Inquisitor who is sat waiting for her on their bed. She sees he is sat with his back resting against the wooden head board with a sheet of his own draped over his otherwise naked waist, highlighting his tanned skin.  
  
“Do I need anything else?” Cassandra asks him as she turns to face him, she watches him shuffle in the place that he is sitting up further.  
  
“Maybe just a towel” Lord Trevelyan replies settling his eyes on her before letting them trail down the bare skin he can see. “In case you make a mess” The Inquisitor adds licking his bottom lip. Cassandra bites her own bottom lip thinking what a completely perfect sight she has before her, he was impressive in his armour but even more so out of it.  
  
“I wont make a mess,” Lady Pentaghast snorts receiving a smile from him as she approaches the bed. “Move down here” The Seeker adds pointing to a space on the bed she wants him to be positioned.  
  
“Don’t cut me,” The Inquisitor says as Cassandra sees him start to look anxious, she places the wooden box and the bowl down on the blanket, watching him as he discards his sheet and moves so he is further down the bed. “Be careful,” He adds fixing his eyes on her. The Seeker chuckles and reaches out to place a hand on his shoulder, using him to help her climb onto the bed and over him to straddle his lap.  
  
“I wont cut you” The Seeker replies settling with him between her thighs, she feels him slide his hands down her back and come to rest on her hips. “I wont hurt you, I promise” Cassandra says again leaning forward to press her lips against his cheek. She feels him slide his hands underneath the sheet that she has wrapped around her, trying to make her as naked as he is. “Hands off or you’ll distract me” The Seeker moves her mouth to press a soft kiss against the edge of his lips.  
  
“So you need to foam the soap first,” The Inquisitor says quietly nodding towards the small bowl she has brought with her to their bed. “Make sure its thick enough to stick” He adds watching her glance down at the soap that is waiting for her, Cassandra closes her eyes and sighs quietly when he slides his hands up her sides to her shoulders. He was going to get cut at this rate.  
  
“Just hold still..” Cassandra mumbles slapping the Inquisitors hands down from her shoulders as she lifts her hips, letting him cross his legs beneath her so he is comfortable. She settles back into his lap again, wrapping her legs around his waist. He opens his mouth to reply receiving a cool look from the Seeker, so he quickly closes it again. Cassandra leans over to reach for the bowl that sits waiting; she brings it up to rest on her thigh so that she can access it. “If you move I’ll do it wrong..” Cassandra says again as the Inquisitor ignores her warning and places his hands on her hips again.

“Are you sure you’ve done this before?” The Inquisitor asks giving her a lopsided smile when he feels her try and wriggle away from his hands and concentrate on what she is doing. Cassandra picks up the round headed brush that sits in the wooden box at the other side of her and places it into the bowl.  
  
“All the time” The Seeker looks back at him giving him a reassuring smile. “How hard can it be?” She asks dipping her head to press her mouth to his making him smile against her lips.  
  
“Really, really hard” Lord Trevelyan replies wrapping his arms around her body pulling her flush against him, Cassandra considers fighting his advances for a moment but then decides his hands and mouth feel too good to be stopping him. The Seeker sighs when he brings a hand up to her hair, deepening the kiss.  
  
“I can tell” The Seeker giggles trying to untangle herself from him and ignoring his naked and demanding body beneath her, they were never going to get this done if he kept kissing her like that. “Foam the soap..” Cassandra mumbles beginning to swirl the brush around the bowl creating a thick white foam, she lifts the brush out of the bowl holding it up for him to inspect.  
  
“Foamy” The Inquisitor smirks making her smile.  
  
“Is this good enough for you My Lord?” Lady Pentaghast asks watching him lick his bottom lip again as if he didn’t have any idea at all what that did to her wanting him. When the Inquisitor nods she dips the brush back into the soap covering it completely with the thick white substance. “Now where does it go?” She asks making him shake his head.  
  
“You watch me shave all the time Cassandra” The Inquisitor says wrapping his hand around her wrist pulling it towards his face, he begins directing where she should dab the foam on his chin and cheeks.  
  
“I like it” The Seeker says giving him an innocent smile. “I enjoy watching you” Cassandra adds doing a large blob of foam on his throat when he lets go of her wrist and returns it to her hip. “But I’m not paying attention to where you are putting it, I just enjoy that you are usually undressed when you do it” Lady Pentaghast smiles again. “Here?”  
  
“Don’t spill it” The Inquisitor warns her taking hold of her wrist again as she starts dropping drips of soap all over them. “More here..” The Inquisitor says again bringing his other hand up to point to his throat. “You need to make sure this is well covered so I don’t get cut,” He adds as Cassandra continues to trail the brush over his neck and throat. She leans in to place her mouth against a spot she is yet to soap making him groan.  
  
“Now what?” Lady Pentaghast asks playing dumb, the Inquisitor just laughs shaking his head. “Hold still” She says again feeling him move his hands onto her thighs, she reaches for the wooden box again taking hold of the blade he uses.  
  
“I’m holding still” Lord Trevelyan replies trying to rub the soap off of his lips that she has carelessly spread around, with the back of his hand. “Go slow” The Inquisitor, says again. “Go slow Cass” He says grabbing her wrist when she holds the blade up in front of his face.  
  
“This was your idea” Cassandra whispers bringing her thumb up to remove a trace of soap from his bottom lip, this only adds to her want to have her lips there instead “I know you trust me, so what’s the problem?” The Seeker adds raising an eyebrow at him.

“We are very domesticated don’t you think?” The Inquisitor gives her his best smile making her giggle. “I trust you,” He adds cupping her cheek in his hand. “I’ve never had this with anyone before” He drops his eyes looking embarrassed all of a sudden.  
  
“I’ve seen you be shaved by hundreds of men, Inquisitor” Cassandra giggles again receiving a snort from her lover as he drops his hands wondering why he even bothers sometimes. “Every time we head to a city with a barber you are laid out in that chair before we even get our bearings” The Seeker laughs again, in truth her Inquisitor almost always had a bit of a scruff and she loved it. She much preferred him after a couple of days on a mission when he was a little rugged and his face felt warm beneath her mouth from the sun, but he had to look presentable to a clean shave and a haircut was in order.  
  
“Don’t be unkind to me” Lord Trevelyan sighs when she grabs hold of his hand again returning it to her cheek. “I’m trying to be sincere..” The Inquisitor says shaking his head slightly. “I meant I’ve never had this with someone before.. I have passed time with many women” Lord Trevelyan smirks making the Seeker frown.  
  
“Do not continue,” She says flatly thinking he should be glad she didn’t have the blade against his throat when he started talking about his previous strumpets.  
  
“Cassandra” The Inquisitor laughs cupping her face in both his hands so she can’t avoid his eyes. “What I’m trying to say is, its different with you.. I would have run a mile if you told me I would ever voluntarily give my heart and whole self to one woman. I would never have imagined being like this with anyone.. Domesticated feels right, everything with you feels right. This is all really new to me” Lord Trevelyan shakes his head when he sees she has another smart remark on the tip of her tongue, she sighs giving into the fact that he is being so sweet to her as always. This was all very new to her too.  
  
“I love you” Cassandra sighs giving up the idea of giving him a sarcastic response like she sometimes did when she felt overwhelmed, she sees the Inquisitor smile more than satisfied with her response. “This is all new to me too..” Lady Pentaghast leans forward to press a gentle kiss against his forehead trying to avoid his foamed face.  
  
“I love you, more” The Inquisitor smiles making her shake her head; it was impossible that he did. The Seeker had never had this before either, she was completely and utterly wrapped up in this man and the love she felt for him. “You make me so happy” He adds leaning down to kiss her again not caring she he might get soap on her face.

“I haven’t done this before, I lied” Cassandra announces pulling away from his mouth before she decided to throw him to the bed and forget all about him having a smooth face, she watches the Inquisitor laugh and place both his hands on her back.

“I have seen you with a blade, Seeker. I know you know which end is the sharp one” Lord Trevelyan looks at her again and then to the blade in her hand. “Go slow” He says again giving her a nod. “Shave down” The Inquisitor adds watching as she leans forward again focusing her eyes on his chin.

“Do not move” Cassandra says quietly placing her hand on his head holding him still, she brings the blade into contact with his skin gently moving it through the foam and through his stubble.

“Don’t poke me in the eye” The Inquisitor grumbles when she moves her hand to direct his face so she can see what she is doing, The Inquisitor lets out a laugh when he sees the small tip of her pink tongue hanging from the side of her mouth when she concentrates. “You are adorable,” He laughs making her snort again.  
  
“Be quiet” The Seeker huffs placing her hand on his forehead tilting his head back so she can get closer to the space beneath his nose. Cassandra narrows her eyes trying to focus on a particularly tricky area below his bottom lip. “This is so easy” She mutters turning his face to the side again with her finger, she watches him swallow hard when she draws the blade across his jaw line. “Henry will hardly recognise you, you will look so handsome” The Seeker gives him a smile that he returns, his brother was due anytime and the Inquisitor wanted to look presentable when he greeted him at the gates of Skyhold.  
  
“It has been a while” The Inquisitor replies trying to keep his head as still as he can when she lifts his chin to get underneath it. “I’m a different person now” He adds looking down his nose to see what she is doing.  
  
“You are still the sweet man I’ve always known you to be” Cassandra replies using her finger to turn his head from side to side checking that she hasn’t missed anywhere on his face and just has under his neck to do. “My sweet Inquisitor” The Seeker adds with a smile.  
  
“But I’m not the boy he knew anymore.. I’m the Inquisitor; I have a lot of people depending on me. I’m going to be your husband.. A father.. I wasn’t any of those things before I met you. I want him to see that I’m more than I used to be” The Inquisitor says with a wishful sigh. “I’m someone now, someone important.. Someone that needs to take care of the people he loves. I’m not a spoilt noble and I hope he knows I’m going to make a difference like he did” Lord Trevelyan says again.  
  
“No matter who you think you are now, or who you have relying on you, he is still your brother and is proud of you” Cassandra leans over to wipe the blade on the sheet that he had over him, clearing it of the foam she has already removed. “You are more than he would have dreamed you’d ever be Ashton and I don’t think you have to worry about him not seeing the greatness in you” The Seeker adds turning her attention back to his face.

Cassandra brings her hand up to his face gently stroking her thumb over a spot on his jaw that she has already done, she looks into his face wondering what it must be like to always be comparing yourself to an older sibling, especially an older sibling that everyone placed on a pedestal. She knew Lord Trevelyan loved his brother and worshipped the ground he walked on, but she wondered if he would ever think himself good enough to stand at his side.  
  
“Almost done?” The Inquisitor asks biting his bottom lip again.  
  
“Almost My Lord Inquisitor” The Seeker replies leaning back from him so she can get a better look. “Lift your head and do not move,” She adds as he tilts his head up again giving her access to his throat, she feels him freeze beneath her placing his hands on her thighs again. “Nice and slow” Cassandra whispers as she places the blade against the soft skin of his throat and begins drawing it up creating a smooth cutting sound as she shaves away the hairs.  
  
She sees his adams apple bob beneath her blade almost holding his breath in fear of moving and being cut by her and the razor sharp edge. The Seeker leans closer watching the stubble gather, mixed in with the soap on the blade as she carefully works down his throat until she thinks she has managed to get it all, she gives another small drag of the blade until she is sure she finished.  
  
“I think I’m done” Lady Pentaghast announces removing the razor from his throat wiping it again on the sheet, she places it back in the wooden box and out of harms way when he brings his hands up to his neck checking that his head is still attached to his body.  
  
“Nice and smooth” The Inquisitor smirks “No fatal injuries.. No blood, I think you did well,” He adds bringing both his hands to his face feeling for cuts. “Thank you love” He says leaning forward to capture her mouth with his, The Seeker wraps her arms around his neck tightening her legs at his waist. The Inquisitor slides his hands under her sheet again feeling more relaxed now she doesn’t have something sharp in her hands.

“Go look in the mirror” Cassandra sighs trying to pull herself away from him, she reluctantly unwraps her arms and legs letting him climb out from under her and swing his legs over the edge of the bed. She watches him stand up enjoying the lovely view of his naked back as he walks across their bedroom floor to the mirror.  
  
“All vital facial features still present” The Inquisitor laughs rubbing his hands on his cheeks and neck again, Cassandra watches him rub his chest with his hand without thinking.  
  
“How did you get to be so beautiful?” Cassandra sighs watching him inspect his face closer, checking under his nose and along his jaw. She sees him shake his head at her comment, anyone that looked at him agreed but he didn’t see it. “Don’t be so modest,” The Seeker adds with a smile. Her lover was every inch of him, perfect.  
  
“Our children will be beautiful and that will all be down to you” The Inquisitor chuckles looking over his shoulder at her. “Maybe I just have a good lineage,” He adds giving her a smile.  
  
“Well I know how handsome Henry is” The Seeker gives him her own grin when he looks confused. “I saw a picture of him, you look a lot like him,” She adds as he turns back to the mirror again, hoping that he wont start asking too many questions about where she saw his picture.  
  
“I guess there are some similarities” Lord Trevelyan shrugs at that idea, if he couldn’t see his finest points naturally himself he probably wouldn’t see much of himself in his hero either.  
  
“I personally think I have the best looking Trevelyan of the three” Cassandra giggles until she sees his shoulders sink slightly at her words. “I mean out of you and Henry..” She adds not wanting to ruin his mood with any mention of the third brother.  
  
“Well good, I wouldn’t want to think you would swoon in his very presence” The Inquisitor smirks and steps away from the mirror. “I’d like to think it will always be our bed you’d be wanting to be in” He laughs.  
  
“He’s too old for me” The Seeker giggles again seeing his shoulders shake with his own laughter, she knew that she was closer to his brothers age than his, but she still knew she had the best one.  
  
“Can you pass me that balm?” He adds looking over his shoulder to her, he watches her spot it on the dresser that he is stood next to further away from her than him.  
  
“Have you lost the use of your limbs?” The Seeker snorts folding her arms as if to say she isn’t going to be doing anything of the sort. “You can reach it from there” Cassandra huffs at him making him smile, he loved riling her up.  
  
“Why don’t you come here.. I’ll let you check” The Inquisitor says turning to face her flashing her the smile that made her heart want to burst.  
  
"I’m fine over here” The Seeker replies watching as the Inquisitor reaches for the bottle of moisturiser. “See, that wasn’t so hard” She adds as his eyes meet hers, she watches him flick the top of the bottle of letting some of it drip onto the palm of his hand. “If anything you should come over here..” Cassandra adds her eyes fixed on him.  
  
“Should I?” The Inquisitor asks with a small shrug of his shoulders, he brings his hands together rubbing his palms against each other distributing the cream evenly between his fingers. “Come here..” He says again licking his bottom lip before bringing his hands up to his face, smoothing the balm into the skin that she has just shaved.  
  
“Why are you being so bossy?” Cassandra huffs again making him laugh, it was always the other way round and he always let her get her own way.

“I’m the Inquisitor” Lord Trevelyan smiles as he brings his hands together again getting more lotion on his fingers and palms, he places his hands on his shoulders rubbing them down his chest slowly as he sets his eyes on hers. “Don’t you want to help me?” He asks tilting his head at his question watching her try to avoid his gaze making him chuckle. “You are supposed to be my advisor and my most trusted aid” The Inquisitor rubs his hands down his arms before moving his hands back to his chest, slowly sliding them down to his stomach glancing up to see her eyes moving with his hands.  
  
“You are so..” Cassandra whines annoyed at her sweet Inquisitor and his completely ridiculously enticing ways.  
  
“I know, Seeker” The Inquisitor replies with a smile when he watches her discard her own white sheet and climb off of the bed to approach him, standing before him as naked as he is. He takes hold of her hand drawing her closer to him so he can duck his head to press his mouth to hers, the Seeker sighs when he pulls her flush against his body and begins rubbing the lotion into her hips. She wraps her arms around his neck not even caring that he’d used the ‘I’m the Inquisitor’ card on her, once again.


	5. The Storm

Lady Pentaghast feels herself begin to dither when another cold gust of wind swirls around them in the usually protected courtyard of Skyhold. Even their tall walls and the usually sheltering Mountains around them were failing to keep the weather completely at bay. She glances up at the banners that are flapping angrily above them, against the stone front of the Fortress each time they are caught by another gust of wind, the flag polls making a groaning noise as they sway dangerously in the approaching storm. The Seeker feels the Commander move at her side, she looks to see that he too is looking cold but still trying to remain as upright and proud as the Commander of the Inquisitor army should.  
  
Cassandra smiles to herself, everyone had gone to a lot of trouble for the Inquisitor for his brother’s imminent arrival. There they all stood, dressed in their finest armour in the yard and the by the front gates of Skyhold. The Seeker lets her eyes rest on Lord Treveylan who is stood far from where she stands, with the Ambassador Lady Montilyet who has obviously been placed in charge of meet and greet. Cassandra wondered if this was necessary, she knew the Inquisitor was desperate to set his eyes on his brother and didn’t think the public display and greeting was needed. Keeping up appearances she muses, they were obviously trying to appear to be official and like a true force.  
  
“I can no longer feel my toes” Cullen whispers to her making her smile again. “I may need to have them removed if he doesn’t get here soon” The Commander adds with a quiet chuckle from the Spymaster, Leliana who also stands with the pair.  
  
“He sent word three days ago, he wont be far” Leliana whispers, quickly smoothing out her sleeves before placing her hands clasped behind her back again. The Seeker watches The Commander look behind him to make sure that his men are all still standing to attention and look perfect.  
  
“He’ll be here” Cassandra whispers to her friends moving to rest her hand on the grip of the sword that is hung at her waist, she glances again up at the flags that are whipping above their heads and sees that the rest of their friends and supporters have all gathered above them to watch for his arrival.  
  
“Doesn’t Lady Montilyet look pretty today?” Leliana whispers, making the Commander chuckle. “Maybe Henry will think she is you,” She adds receiving a snort from Cassandra. “Remind me again why you are stood with us and she is standing at the gates, with him?”  
  
“It would be inappropriate for me to be standing with him. I’m an advisor.. I’m one of you.. We aren’t married and I’m not the lady of the house” Cassandra replies leaning to knock her shoulder against the Commanders when he laughs quietly. “She is his Ambassador, its her job to deal with guests” She huffs again when she sees Josephine place her gloved hand on the Inquisitors arm laughing at something he has said.  
  
  
“You are not just an advisor,” The Commander says giving her shoulder another nudge. “Maybe you should apply for the position of Ambassador” Cullen smiles wiggling his fingers slightly before placing it back onto the grip of his own sword.

“I am perfectly fine as I am” Cassandra hisses feeling her teeth start to chatter, her armour was warm but not quite warm enough against the freezing wind. “Lady Montilyet can parade him about and dress him up all she likes” The Seeker adds settling her eyes on her lover again, she watches him stand as proud as he can dressed in his finest coat but notices that he holds his hands nervously at his sides. “She can touch him and gaze at him, but he’s all mine” Lady Pentaghast smiles when she sees him turn to quickly look for her, looking happier when he sees that she is still not far from his side.  
  
“This feels an awful lot like the Winter Palace” Cullen chuckles receiving a smile from his friend, Cassandra had very fond memories of that night and the time she had spent with Lord Trevelyan.  
  
The Seeker looks over to the Inquisition horses that have been brought out from their stables and are being held onto by the grooms, everything it seemed was being placed on show today. She sees them stamping anxiously, getting spooked by the wind that gusts around them setting them on edge. Cassandra listens to the strange whaling sound that Skyhold seems to make when a storm is about to hit, glad that soon they would be inside the safety of its walls and being able to keep the worst of the weather away from them. The Seeker sighs again thinking how wonderful it will feel to be sat with their special guest, enjoying a feast and the warmth of the Great Hall.  
  
“Maybe we should dismiss the soldiers” The Seeker says looking to them again seeing that they are trying hard not to fidget and show that the increasingly strong breeze is getting to them. She watches a few of them glance nervously up at the sky as the dark clouds begin to roll over them, casting darkness over them. Cassandra wondered if these dark clouds were threatening to drench them.  
  
“It wont be much longer” The Commander says his own eyes moving to his men, when they see him looking they stand even straighter and focus their eyes straight ahead. “Lord Trevelyan’s brother or not, we have visiting nobility and have to be turned out to receive him” He adds nodding when he is satisfied with how they are presenting themselves.  
  
“That does not look good” Leliana whispers watching more dark clouds gather in the sky above them. She lets out a little squeak when the first rumble of thunder can be heard and the wind rips past them again.  
  
“We should go inside” Cassandra says quickly looking between Cullen and Leliana and then back to the Inquisitor who still stands strong with resolve. She sees Lady Montilyet lean in to say something to him, which receives a shake of his head; no he didn’t want to wait inside. The Seeker hears he horses begin snorting at the sudden rumble of thunder.  
  
“He wont move, he wants to be out here” The Commander nods “He’s been excited about this for days, let him wait it out if that’s what he feels he needs to do” Cullen adds placing his other hand on his hip. “I will wait with him, if you want to go inside” Cullen gives her a nod to say he would be true to his word. “You don’t want to be making yourself unwell by standing out here” The Commander gives her another small smile. “I did think they made Seekers stronger than this though..” He chuckles receiving a groan from Cassandra. Her friend was so funny.

“I’m staying” Lady Pentaghast replies dryly, she sees her Inquisitor move from one foot to the other obviously suffering from the weather too but not wanting to give in. The Seeker knew he wanted to show his brother who he was now, the Inquisitor, the man that stood out in storms like a stubborn child.  
  
The Seeker looks up to the sky again as a large fork of lightening is thrown from the dark clouds, lighting up the darkness and the courtyard with a huge flash. She closes her eyes trying to force back the memories of the night they had been caught out in a storm like this on a mission, the night that she had watched him being stabbed right in front of her and the night and days after that he had almost died. When she opens her eyes and looks to Lord Trevelyan again she sees his fists clench at his sides, he’d never been a fan of storms since then. Lady Pentaghast knew she would never forget the strange expression on her lovers face when he looked down at the blade that had been run through him and his own blood that soaked through his fingers, a mixture of confusion and regret.  
  
“He’s scared” Cassandra whispers quietly to no one but the Commander and the Spymaster. “This is like a nightmare he has” She adds biting her bottom lip, she wanted to run to him and stand at his side so he could draw comfort from her. The Seeker could usually shake her Inquisitor awake when he sat bolt up right at night screaming, sooth him with her words and her body, but she couldn’t wake him from this.  
  
“Do you care about appearances? Really?” Leliana asks placing her hand on Cassandra’s back pushing her forward.  
  
“Of course not” The Seeker hisses digging her heels in to the ground so she can’t be moved. “But he does, he doesn’t want anyone to know what frightens him. He doesn’t want people to know so blatantly that we are together” She adds turning to look at Leliana. Cassandra directs her eyes to the sky when there is another loud rumble of thunder before the clouds open covering them all with a downpour of freezing rain.  
  
“He loves you, of course he wants to show people that.. He needs you” Cullen adds placing his own hand on her elbow trying to help the Spymaster in directing her towards the Inquisitor. The Commander reaches to unhook her weapon from her waist pulling it close to his body. “Now go before we all get soaked, get him to come inside and we can send the men to the barracks to get dry” Cullen gives her another little shove in the right direction.

“Inquisitor!” Cassandra snaps her head to the direction of the shout when she sees one of Leliana’s men come running towards the main gate. The Seeker continues moving towards where Lord Trevelyan stands noticing him springing into action when he sees one of his spies desperately hammering his hands against the gate.  
  
“Open the gates!” The Inquisitor yells signalling for him to be let in. The Seeker watches as the heavy metal gates are slowly raised before moving her eyes back to the messenger who is now on his knees on the floor, his hands clutching tightly to what she can now see is a large stab wound through his stomach.  
  
“Maker..” Cassandra hears the words tumble from her mouth when she begins sprinting towards the Inquisitor who is now on his knees as well trying to support the man that is clearly injured. She watches as the spy grabs hold of a handful of the Inquisitors leather jacket, smearing red over where his hand makes contact. He slumps in Lord Trevelyan’s arms unable to hold himself up any longer, all of them beginning to be soaked from the unforgiving rain.  
  
“Cullen!” The Seeker shouts looking over her shoulder watching her friend realise what is going on and rushing to aid her and the Inquisitor.  
  
“Get him to the medical wing!” The Commander barks pointing at some of his Soldiers who immediately break ranks and begin approaching the group quickly to help. Cassandra looks up at the wall noticing that all but a few of their followers have retreated inside and out of the rain.  
  
“Tell me what happened” Cassandra hears the Inquisitor asking the messenger whose head is now rolling back and his eyes are closing. She watches Lord Trevelyan shake the man gently trying to get him to come back and get some answers. “Where is my brother?!” He shouts panic spreading across his face. “What happened?” He shouts again looking up at Cassandra and then to Leliana who has now joined them. The Spymaster looks down at the man in his arms shaking her head, he was one of her men that had been dispatched to keep an eye on the road.  
  
“The Bandits..” The man chokes trying to lift his head, The Seeker watches her lover press his hand onto the stab wound trying to stop the bleeding. She watches the blood soak through his fingers, the same as it had done the night she’d seen him like this.  
  
“You’ll be okay, just tell me what happened..” The Inquisitor whispers to him trying to reassure the spy that he is going to be fine. “We’ll get you help, you’ll be fine by the morning” He adds making Cassandra sob hearing his words, he was going to die here in the yard and they all knew it yet the Inquisitor was trying to give the man some peace in his final moments. “Andraste will protect you” He adds as the man shakes his head, the rain soaking his face.  
  
“Your brother..” The man winces in pain again closing his eyes tightly. “Your brother is dead” The man finally says looking up to the Inquisitor, with a sigh as his head rolls back again and his body goes limp in the Inquisitor’s arms.  
  
The Seeker feels the breath suddenly exit her body as she tries to process what she has heard, she sees the Commander bring his hand up to his face and hears Leliana let out a sob at her side. Henry was dead. Killed by the very same bandits that they had been trying to deal with, the very same bandits that the Inquisitor’s decisions had left out on the road open to attack anyone that passed by, including Henry. Cassandra feels like everything has suddenly been slowed down and that her whole world has numbed, she watches as the Inquisitor gently lowers the man to the floor.

“Take him inside” The Inquisitor says quietly as he reaches down to place his hand over the mans eyes, closing them and thanking him for his final message. Cassandra hears a few words of prayer leave her lovers mouth as he rests his hand on his forehead. The Seeker watches as he stays kneeling in the ground, now covered in a mixture of blood, dirt and rain.  
  
“Ashton” Cassandra whispers, any further words not forming or wanting to leave her mouth. She watches his head drop and his shoulders sink, still not moving from the position that he is in. Another burst of lightning lights up the yard again only highlighting the large pool of blood that now lays at their feet.  
  
“Inquisitor..” Commander Cullen says quietly giving Cassandra a slow shake of his head before looking back to the Inquisitor. They watch as Lord Trevelyan takes hold of his coat sleeves in his hands dragging it off of his arms, removing his jacket completely. He quickly gets soaked through to the skin; his plan white shirt that they can see has a large stain of blood at the front where he’d cradled the man.

“You’ll freeze” Cassandra whispers again seeing him just shake his head, he places his coat over the messenger trying to give his body some shelter from the storm.  
  
“Bring me my horse. I need to help Henry” The Inquisitor replies, suddenly no emotion in his voice at all. “Bring me my horse, right now” He adds as he climbs to his feet, not caring that he is covered in mud and dirt from being on the floor. The Seeker watches as he turns to face them, his eyes cold and his jaw set in a hard line.

“Come inside” The Seeker says trying to catch his eyes with hers, she reaches a hand out to place it on his arm but he pulls away from her touch. “Ashton” Cassandra says again trying to keep the look of hurt from her face at his dismissal of her actions. She recognised the look in his eyes, it had been the look she had seen staring back at her every time she looked in the mirror when her brother had died.  
  
“Please, Inquisitor” Leliana mumbles as he pushes past them, trying to get away from their eyes on him as they all being to realise he plans to leave Skyhold and find the bandits. They watch as he stamps towards the horses that are still stood waiting with their grooms.  
  
“Lets not do anything hasty Inquisitor” The Commander says turning his attention back to Lord Trevelyan. “We need to deal with this properly” Cullen adds trying to place his hand on the Inquisitors shoulder but he is also shrugged away as he pushes past his friend.  
  
“Please don’t do this” Cassandra cries feeling the tears beginning to fall as she runs to keep up with him, grabbing hold of his arm trying to stop him from doing what she knows he wants to do. If he got on that horse and left Skyhold to go after the Bandits, she might never see him again. “You don’t need to do this” The Seeker sobs increasing her grip on his arm, trying to pull him away from the horse he is trying to take.  
  
“Let go of me!” The Inquisitor roars pulling his arm from her grip making her stumble. Cassandra flinches at his tone having never heard it coming from him before, her sweet Inquisitor was broken in two and all he could see was the rage. She looks to his face and sees that there is nothing but anger and the want to spill their blood.  
  
“I can’t let you do this,” The Seeker cries again, feeling the rain falling onto them harder making it hard to see or think straight from the cold. “Don’t make me live in a world with you not in it, If they kill you too..” Cassandra sees him falter at her words. “I can’t do this without you” She cries again moving in front of him blocking his path. “Please don’t leave us” Cassandra feels the grief begin to bubble out of her, seeing her love in pain was hard enough but the thought of losing him was too much. The Seeker takes hold of his shirt in her hands, placing her fists on his chest trying to get him to look into her eyes.  
  
“You need to let me go.. You don't understand” The Inquisitor says again lowering his voice, looking ashamed that he had ever raised his voice to her in such a way.  
  
“This isn’t what he would have wanted” Cassandra whispers trying to get him to see any kind of reason, she places her hands on his chest again wanting to scream at him until he had no choice but to silence her.  
  
“You didn’t even know him” The Inquisitor replies coolly placing his hands on top of hers, not to comfort his crying Seeker, not to tell her everything was alright but to try and remove her hands from him. The Seeker looks back at the Commander and the Spymaster that just look at her with sadness on their faces too; they knew they couldn’t stop him. She sees her friends, soaked to the skin and unable to help in anyway to ease his pain.  
  
Cassandra lets go of his shirt as he pushes past her again; he reaches for the horse that is stood waiting for him. He takes the reigns in his hand and places a foot into the stirrup so he can boost himself up and into the saddle. Without another word she watches as he kicks the horse into action and is past her and out of the gate before she can say anything else to try and stop him. The Seeker feels herself drop to the floor, bringing her hands up to her face as large sobs escape her lips making her body shake.  
  
“Lets get you inside” The Commander says quietly to her as he places his hands under her arms pulling her to her feet, Cullen wraps his arm around her waist letting her collapse into his arms, her fear of never seeing the Inquisitor again displayed on her whole body.


	6. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you guys keeping up okay? I've never done chapters before.. Is it working for you? :D haha

“Ash?” Lady Pentaghast calls out when she hears the door to their quarters squeak as it opens and then closes again, she hears the sound of two heavy feet walking up the steps and the sound of a mans booted steps. “Ash is that you?” Cassandra calls out again jumping to her feet from where she sits on the edge of the bed, dropping the boots she was trying to force her still damp feet into onto the floor. The Seeker moves quickly towards the stairs ready to throw herself into her lovers arms, no matter how angry she feels for his actions the worry of his fate was much stronger.  
  
“No, sorry..” The Commander calls in reply as the Seeker sees his head appear at the top of the stairs. “Sorry, its just me” Cullen adds as he takes the final step into the Inquisitor and the Seekers rooms. Cassandra watches him look around the room, probably wondering if she had spent the time since he had brought her here and out of the rain, destroying things. The Seeker tries to hide the disappointment and the worry from her eyes when she sees him try and give her a reassuring smile.  
  
“Cullen..” Lady Pentaghast sighs turning to go back to where she has discarded her boots, she drops to sit on the bed again continuing to try and slide her feet into them. Cassandra huffs slightly when they still resist because her toes are still damp from the drenching she received, earlier in the day.  
  
“I just wanted to check on you..” The Commander says cautiously, he wasn’t going to ask if she was okay and the Seeker appreciated that he knew it was pointless to even ask. She wasn’t okay, she was trying very hard to stop the tears from falling again and trying to not have the Commander see her fall apart, so she swallows hard. Cassandra appreciated his concern for her, he always had it and she thought he always would. He had been on the sharp end of her tongue many times and yet he still came back to her with a listening ear and comforting shoulder. “Where are you going?” Cullen asks watching her sigh angrily when she can’t lace up her boots while trying to blink back the tears.  
  
“I need to find him..” Cassandra replies trying to keep her voice even “I need to bring him home before he gets himself killed” The Seeker sniffs again feeling ashamed of her distress, her Inquisitor was going through grief that she remembered all to well and she was sitting crying over her own fear of being without him.  
  
“Don’t be ridiculous” Cullen sighs stepping further into the room, The Seeker glances up from her spot on the bed to see that he has some time ago removed his armour and is now dressed more comfortable in a shirt and breeches, she notices his usually controlled locks are looking a little unruly from the rain. He had got soaked to the skin too when they’d been waiting for Henry to arrive.

“Do not call me ridiculous” Cassandra snaps starting to feel angry, he had no idea how this felt. She had watched her Inquisitor receive the worst news that he could possibly receive; his brother had been killed because of a choice he had made. Now Lord Trevelyan was out there, with revenge on his mind, unarmed and hardly dressed for the storm that currently batters Skyhold. “I need to stop them from..” The Seeker sobs grief washing over her again. “They will kill him Cullen, he didn’t take any weapons..” She adds biting her lip to try and stop herself from crying again, this wasn’t the kind of woman she was. “If he even reaches them before the weather gets him” Cassandra frowns when Cullen shakes his head looking angry.  
  
“If you hadn’t noticed there is a storm outside” The Commander snaps back at her, The Seeker watches him point to the large glass window and door that leads to their balcony Cassandra follows the direction of his finger and sees the rain still pounding hard against the glass, the wind howling making the building groan under the gusts.  
  
“I can see that” Lady Pentaghast huffs again, looking back from the raging storm outside to her boots. “He can only be a few hours ahead of me, If I can just..” The Seeker adds standing up.  
  
“Its dark..” Cullen growls his jaw tensing when he sees her continuing with her plan, not listening to what he is saying. “There is zero visibility with the rain, you cant just walk through it” The Seeker catches his eyes with hers seeing how distressed he looks with the idea of her leaving. “You aren’t going anywhere,” He adds crossing his arms.  
  
“I don’t see how that is any decision of yours to make” Cassandra huffs at him again, he was a good friend but he had no right to be telling her what she could and couldn’t do. The Seeker knew she had to find Lord Trevelyan, hopefully he had managed to shelter somewhere not far from Skyhold and she would be able to catch up with him and bring him home. It was a solid three day ride through the mountains before he would even reach the road to Jader, he had no weapons with him, was dressed in only a shirt and had no food or supplies. As strong as she knows her lover is, that was suicide.  
  
“As The Commander of the Inquisition” Cullen begins receiving a snort from the Seeker, making her roll her eyes. “I can order you to stay here” She looks at him again narrowing her eyes before turning back to reach for a coat out of the trunk at the end of the bed, if she was going to get soaked through again she might as well try and wear something warmer.

“Don’t give me that,” Lady Pentaghast snorts again throwing her coat onto the bed, walking to an armour rack by the window that has a collection of her weapons waiting. “You do not outrank me, Commander” The Seeker adds cooly. They were both from Orders and were both of military background, but he had no control over her in that way. “This has nothing to do with you being the Commander of the Inquisition, you don’t have a say in this” She adds reaching for one of her swords deciding she was going to need to arm herself for the both of them. “Forget that it is the Inquisitor, just remember that this is Ashton. Your friend.. My.. Everything” Cassandra sighs again.  
  
“How about as my friend, you don’t do this?” Cullen asks moving further into the room trying to get in her way and slow her down, Cassandra ducks round him trying to get her things together as quickly as she can so she doesn’t waste anymore time. “As your friend I’m asking you to rethink this, the storm is volatile and the path through the mountains is treacherous as it is. Let us deal with this together, we can put a group together first thing in the morning and go and look for him” The Commander sighs when she shakes her head. “He has probably taken shelter, he wont have that much of a head start and we will find him. As your friend, please let us deal with this so no harm comes to anyone else”  
  
“As my friend you should understand I can’t wait until the morning” The Seeker shakes her head again, it would be too late by morning. “As my friend let me find him.. As my friend, stop slowing me down so I can leave. He is my responsibility” Cassandra huffs when he moves into her space stopping her from moving.  
  
“He isn’t your responsibility. I know you love him but he should never have put you in this situation, he is acting out of lust for blood not caring about your feelings or the fact you would run to the ends of the earth for him. He should never let you put yourself at risk.. What if something happened to you and we lost both of you?” Cullen clenches his jaw again when she tries to duck past him again. “What if you are hurt or something happens to the baby?” Cullen sees her falter for a moment.  
  
“He is hurting Cullen” Cassandra sighs when the Commander places both of his hands on her shoulders stopping her in her place. “Soon his anger will fade and he will be overcome by sadness and grief, I know how that feels and I need to be with him when that happens. You heard the reports, you heard how many bandits there were.. He can’t do this on his own” The Seeker adds feeling him grip her shoulders.  
  
“You may put him in even more danger by being there, if he is trying to protect you as well as himself.. I know they don’t stand a chance against him, we both know he is one man with the power of an army” The Commander dips his head trying to make her look at him. “You need to stay here,” Cullen whispers lowering his voice as he rubs his thumb against her shoulder.  
  
“I can’t sit here and do nothing,” Cassandra sobs feeling herself begin to well up again. “I can’t wait for bad news.. I can’t wait for a letter telling me he’s dead,” She adds with a sniff. “You want me to just stay and wait for something to happen?” She sniffs again bringing her hand up to her face.

“Yes you can. He needs you to be here waiting for him, when he walks through those gates..” The Commander begins. “He needs to see the woman he loves so he knows everything is going to be okay. So you must stay here, for him and for me. If you wont stay because I order you to or because we are friends, stay because..” Cullen sighs dropping his eyes to his feet before moving his hands to her face. “Stay because I love you and the thought of you being out there is too much for me to stand. If you go after him I would have to follow.. I need you to stay because if you don’t I’m going to have to risk my life for you, trying to keep you safe” He blurts out dropping his hands from her face feeling embarrassed of his outburst.  
  
“Cull..” Cassandra replies feeling her eyes widen in surprise at his declaration of love, ashamed that he has announced it so boldly in her and the Inquisitors room and she has let him get too close.  
  
“Don’t say anything” Cullen huffs again. “Just forget I said that.. But I meant what I say, you need to stay here. I won’t ask you again to think about the consequences of your actions but know that it would be putting all three of us at risk” The Commander looks at her again seeing that he has gone too far and that she is overwhelmed by his words.

“Cullen..” Cassandra whispers wishing she could say something to make him feel better, she knew he would always want her to love him back but she didn’t think that would ever be the case. He was her greatest friend and someone she trusted more than anyone, apart from Lord Trevelyan, but that was where the relationship stopped.  
  
"Commander” Cassandra looks over his shoulder at one of the Spymaster’s men that has joined them. “Excuse my interruption Lady Seeker, Lord Commander..” He says again bowing his head to them both, Cassandra just lifts her hand to wave it off that it is fine he interrupted and to continue.  
  
“What is it?” The Seeker asks looking to the man and then back at Cullen, who already seems to know what the messenger is going to say.  
  
“He is here to tell me that my horse is ready” The Commander says catching her eyes again, he gives her a sad smile and a nod. “Isn’t that right?” He asks glancing over his shoulder at the messenger.  
  
“Yes my Lord” The Messenger bows his head again when Lady Pentaghast looks at him and then to Cullen. He was telling her she wasn’t allowed to leave Skyhold and find the Inquisitor and it seemed he planned on doing just that. “Everything you asked for is ready”  
  
“Thank you” Cullen turns his head to smile at the messenger, thanking him for letting him know like he had asked. “I came to tell you I am leaving” The Commander sighs when he sees the colour drain from the Seekers face. “I knew you would try and stop me but I didn’t expect to have to stop you from doing the same” Cullen adds placing his hands on his hips. “I just needed to see you, incase I don’t get the chance to add” He sighs turning his gaze from her.  
  
“I’m coming with you!” Cassandra shouts raising her voice, she tries to move past him again but he blocks her path with his body. “You told me I couldn’t go so I wont allow you to either” She snorts watching a small smile tug at the corner of his mouth.  
  
“This isn’t up for discussion. I am going to find Lord Trevelyan and you are staying here” Cullen places his hand on her arm trying to keep her from bolting down the stairs. “I understand why you feel you must help him, but let me go in your place. I need to make amends for what happened and I need to prove my loyalty is to him and not just to you. If anything happened to you, if he knew I had allowed you to place yourself in harms way he would never forgive me.” The Commander glances at her again. “I will bring him home to you, I promise you that” He adds.

“I cannot just sit here” The Seeker frowns at him, looking into his face and knowing he wasn’t going to change his mind. “What am I supposed to do?” She asks setting her eyes to his.  
  
“Wait for us” Cullen gives her a smile trying to reassure her. “The moment you hear the gate open I want you to be there waiting for me..” He sighs, relieved that he wouldn’t have to worry about her following him when she nods slowly.  
  
“Be safe Cullen” Cassandra sniffs again before throwing her arms around him pulling him into a hug that he gladly accepts, she closes her eyes resting her head against his shoulder when he wraps his arms around her trying to comfort her. He was going to risk himself to find the Inquisitor but he wasn’t going to let her be there when he did.  
  
“I’m coming back,” The Commander whispers placing his hands on her back, enjoying the feeling of her his arms.  



	7. Home Coming

Lady Pentaghast throws herself against the door of their quarters and into the Great Hall of Skyhold, she runs as fast as her sleep deprived legs will carry her down the centre walkway, hearing the sound of her bare feet pounding against the stone floor as she sprints. The Seeker feels eyes on her, as she runs, not caring that they will be making comments about her sanity and her unsuitability to be engaged to such a man as Lord Trevelyan. Cassandra grabs hold of the handle tugging it open as fast as she can, putting all of her weight behind it trying to open it quicker than the old metal hinges and her tired body will allow.  
  
Eight days, the longest eight days of her life. Three days had gone by in a blur as The Seeker paced and prayed, unable to do anything but watch the gates day and night for any sign of the Inquisitor and the Commander. Not able to sleep or continue to function but still needing to keep everyone else positive had drained her. When the Raven had come from Cullen on the morning of the fourth day, minutes seemed to crawl past slowly as if taunting her that the time would never come that she’d  
see him again. ‘I’m with him Lady Seeker and we will soon return to you’ The Commander had sent.

“Ashton!” Cassandra feels the words leave her lips much louder than she had intended when she stops at the top of the stone steps, glancing down to the front gate and seeing that they have been raised to allow people back into the safety of the fortress. “Please..” The Seeker mumbles continuing down the steps as fast as she dares. “Please be him,” Lady Pentaghast says again as she reaches the bottom and turns to move under the archway. The Seeker had been waiting for the sound of those gates opening for days.  
  
“Lady Pentaghast!” The Commander shouts looking up to her as he walks through the gate, walking a few paces behind the Inquisitor, leading his horse behind him on a long reign. The Seeker sees him spot her instantly, a large smile appearing on his tired face. Cassandra stops at the top of the steps when she sees him. “He’s okay!” Cullen shouts to her as she directs her eyes finally to Lord Trevelyan, his own horse following his master dutifully.

“Thank the Maker” Cassandra sobs when she looks at him, he looked terrible. The Seeker notices at once that he has been badly injured, every part of him that she can see is covered in cuts and bruises and he carries himself as if he’s been hurt. But as far as she could see, he was just about walking and thank the Maker, alive. The Seeker tears down the last flight of steps that stands between her and getting her hands on him, she runs across the yard not caring who is watching or the ridiculous protocol. She had torn herself apart without him, cursed him for being so stupid as to leave her and begged for his return. Even when she was sure hope would soon run out, she had refused to give up on him. Cassandra notices the Commander come to a stop in the yard handing his horse over to the groom, he looked exhausted too and as though he had been through his own ordeal. Cullen was such a good friend to them both and he had done exactly as he had promised, he’d brought the Inquisitor home.

“Cass..” Lord Trevelyan croaks when she continues to move towards him, she sees the concern on his face when he takes in her own tired appearance and the worry for him behind her eyes. “I’m sorry” He adds meeting her eyes with his, The Seeker notices his clothes are covered in blood and dirt, as is the blanket that he has wrapped around his shoulders trying to keep him warm.  
  
“Don’t talk” Lady Pentaghast replies throwing her arms around him as he engulfs her in his, she sobs as he holds her tightly against him all concerns for his injuries gone for a moment. “I thought I’d never see you again” The Seeker whispers into his neck, feeling him tangle his fingers in her hair desperate to have every part of her touching him.  
  
“Take Lord Trevelyan’s body to the Infirmary.. Have him cleaned up and prepared to be taken to Ostwick,” The Commander says watching the Inquisitor and the Seeker clinging to each other as if scared to let go. He was sure there would be cross words but for now he was glad to see them back together. Cassandra diverts her eyes to Cullen when she hears him order his men, its only then does she notice they have managed to retrieve Henry and have brought him back to Skyhold. They would be sure to take care of his body and return him to his family.  
  
“I’m sorry” The Inquisitor whispers again pressing his mouth against her head, Cassandra feels him wince beneath her hands when she gently lets go of him placing her hands on his chest. “I’m hurt..” He whispers when the Seeker looks into his face; black and swollen eyes, a split lip, cuts on his face and an angry looking gash on his head. Her poor Inquisitor has taken a battering. She sees the way his lips have chapped from being out in the weather and the coarse stubble on his face. “Most of the blood is mine,” He adds ducking his head, ashamed of his actions. “But the bandits are dead” The Seeker watches him close his eyes and wince again, obviously in some considerable pain.  
  
“Lord Trevelyan” The Commander says quietly as he approaches the pair, Cassandra watches Cullen avoid her eyes but reach his hand out to Lord Trevelyan. “You and I both need to rest..” Cullen adds as the Inquisitor removes his hand from the Seeker and places it in the Commander’s outreached one. “Sleep and tomorrow we will prepare for all our trip to Ostwick” Cullen gives the Inquisitor a reassuring look the best he can muster, he pats him on the arm gently to avoid hurting him further.  
  
“I owe you my life, twice you have returned me from death” The Inquisitor replies, placing his hand over the Commander's. “I wont forget this” Lord Trevelyan adds with a nod.  
  
“Someone needs to keep you out of trouble” Cullen gives him a small smile before turning his gaze to the Seeker. “Do not be too hard on him,” The Commander says the corner of his lip turning up. “He is punishing himself more than you could ever imagine” Cullen adds removing his hand from the Inquisitor.  
  
The Seeker just gives him a nod, not really knowing how to respond. She was so thankful that Cullen had gone after the Inquisitor to try and find him and by the looks of the condition he had been returned to her in, The Commander had made it just in time. Cassandra glances at her lover again not able to process the battered and bruised face that stares back at her, he had killed the bandits single handed but there was no telling what would have happened to him if Cullen hadn’t found him. Cullen gives them both another nod before excusing himself to sleep, trudging slowly up the stairs away from them.  
  
“I need to write to Annabelle.. I need to tell my parents” The Inquisitor begins as he pulls away from Cassandra making her suddenly feel bereft of him. She’d waited eight days to have him back and letting go was even harder than usual. The Seeker watches him groan again when pain shoots through him, she had no idea how he had managed to make the long journey back through the mountains but she was sure the Commander had a lot to do with it.

“Steady Inquisitor” Cassandra whispers when he groans again as he tries to walk, his tired and battered body beginning to seize up. She sees him falter and look unbalanced on his feet as if he cant hold himself up for much longer.  
  
“My mother” The Inquisitor chokes holding his bruised hands up to signal that he is okay. “I can’t” He sobs as the Seeker wraps her arms around him again trying to hold him up, he lets himself be supported by her burying his face into her shoulder.  
  
“We can do it together” Lady Pentaghast replies stroking the back of his head gently letting him sob onto her shoulder, she felt so guilty for not being with him when he was so overcome by rage but now she had to see him through the sadness. “But we need to get you cleaned up first” Cassandra whispers stroking her hand down his back, feeling that every part of him is covered in dried blood and caked on mud.  
  
Lady Pentaghast watches him raise his head giving her a nod as she wraps her arm around his waist, her hand clutching his tightly around her neck so she can help him take each agonising step towards Skyhold.  
  
“I’m okay,” The Inquisitor whispers trying to keep his steps even to stop the pain from shooting through his body. Cassandra wondered how deep this hurt was going, she couldn’t bare to think about the injuries she couldn’t see.  
  
“Maybe we should get you checked out first.. You might need stitches and bandaging” Cassandra sighs feeling waves of worry wash over her.

“I just need to rest.. I just need to be with you” The Inquisitor replies wearily “This is becoming to regular an occurrence,” He adds when Cassandra feels him look at her through his bloodshot eyes, the Seeker bites her lip and nods avoiding his eyes. She knew she couldn’t let him see how much he had hurt her when he had so carelessly risked his life again.  
  
The Seeker takes small steps letting him set their speed; there was no way the Inquisitor would have made it back on his own steam. She guides him slowly up the two sets of stone steps and through the main door of Skyhold, ignoring the whispering that begins coming from the traders and nobles that are gathered inside. Cassandra sighs to herself; she had carried him like this before when he had been near fatally hurt. How much longer could she watch him be placed in harms way? Both of them risked their lives for others nearly everyday in the field but sometimes she felt so helpless.  
  
“You shouldn’t have done that” Lady Pentaghast whispers to him trying to stop her own emotions from flying out at him, she may not be carrying physical wounds like he is but his actions had damaged her. She knew they had been the actions of a man that had just had his world torn down around him, a man that was grieving for his brother and a man that wanted to bring his brother home, but he had acted so out of character it frightened her because ultimately he had wanted revenge.  
  
“I had to find him” Lord Trevelyan replies glancing at her face again, she had every right to be angry at him for acting so recklessly but it is the look of disappointment that the Inquisitor doesn’t expect.  
  
“You wanted to find them you mean” The Seeker replies trying to not let her feelings turn to anger, she knew his feelings well, she had felt them herself when Anthony had been murdered. She had not slaughtered so many in his name, however. “You said you didn’t want more blood on your hands, now you have killed them.. If you had died Ashton..” Cassandra huffs feeling guilty for her feelings.  
  
The Inquisitor just sighs at her side, she knew she should be comforting him through this and not trying to force answers and the reasons why from him but it bothered her. The Bandits most likely did deserve to meet their end for all of the people they had killed but until now he had shown he was a different man to the one that she saw. The Inquisitor was kind, he was sweet and compassionate, he showed understanding and most of all he showed mercy. Maybe it was the mark; maybe it was influencing him more than they knew. He had begun losing control more often.  
  
“I need to sleep” The Inquisitor sighs again as The Seeker pushes open the door to their quarters and guides him through, letting it shut tightly behind them. Cassandra feels him slump slightly in her arms with relief to be behind that door and in the safety of their room, with her. Lady Pentaghast had no doubt the last days had been as terrifying for him as it had been for her.  
  
“Not far now my love” Cassandra replies leaning her head to rest against his gently trying to offer some comfort after her words to show no matter what, she was at his side and loved him. The Seeker places her hand on his back and her arm around his waist helping him take each step at a time until they finally reach the top.  
  
“I never thought I’d see this room again” The Inquisitor chuckles to himself, suddenly aware how much it hurts to do that and breath in too quickly. Cassandra watches him gaze around their bedroom, a room that had become a safe haven and a sanctuary to them both. A place that they could spend hours together away from judgement, staring eyes and responsibility. The Seeker loved it too, the way that it felt like they had the whole world all to themselves when they stood on that balcony or made love in their bed.  
  
“You are safe here, Inquisitor” The Seeker whispers to him again when she feels his eyes rest on her, she closes them for a minute trying to gather herself. “Come.. I’ll have a bath ready for you when you’ve got some rest” Lady Pentaghast adds as she helps him take the last few steps to their bed. She didn’t care that he was dirty and their sheets were beautifully clean, she knew on many occasion the pair had fallen into their bed, soaked to the bone, without removing their dirty boots or armour because being a Seeker and an Inquisitor was an exhausting job.  
  
Cassandra eases him gently onto the edge of the bed hearing him groan as his body bends and sinks into the soft mattress, she sees the pain on his face but knows it is no good trying to do anything with him but let him sleep. He was beyond exhausted and running on empty, she hoped a few hours would be a good start to his recovery. The Seeker looks into his face seeing the down turned edges of his mouth that she wasn’t used to seeing, she longed for her big ball of sunshine to catch her eyes and give her a smile but he doesn’t.  
  
“Thank you” The Inquisitor whispers when he watches her move to her knees in front of him; slowly begin unbuckling his filthy boots. The Seeker gives him a reassuring smile as she slips his feet from them slowly drawing another groan of pain.  
  
“You don’t have to thank me for anything” Cassandra replies trying to avoid his eyes and focusing on what she is doing, she discards them on the floor as she stands up again in front of him. “Cullen came and found you, not me” The Seeker huffs as she leans over to plump a pillow for his head. “Lay back” Cassandra whispers again as she places her hands on his legs helping him lift them and shuffle his body round so he is as comfortable as he can be.  
  
“He said he had to stop you” Lord Trevelyan replies with a sigh as he settles onto the soft blankets and furs of their bead, his head resting into the cushions. Cassandra looks to his face again and is sure she can see bliss behind his eyes, days of pain and grief still there but comfort from being back in their bed.  
  
“Do not think it was due to some attachment I might have to you, Lord Trevelyan” The Seeker snorts making her lover chuckle again before his hands move to his ribs. Cassandra perches on the edge of the bed, placing her hand carefully over his. “I was merely terrified at the prospect of having to raise this child without you,” She whispers again feeling him lift his other hand and rub it softly against her cheek.  
  
“You would be able to do it” The Inquisitor replies setting his eyes on her again. “You are better than I am, at everything.. I make the wrong choices, I get people killed,” He adds turning his eyes away from her again.

“Don’t think about that now” The Seeker sighs turning her head to press her lips against the palm of his hand. “Sleep, Ashton. So that you will heal quickly and I wont ever have to be without you or contemplate again and world without you” Lady Pentaghast watches him nod slowly as he begins to let sleep catch up with him and his eyes begin to close. Cassandra knew there would always be something threatening to keep them apart, if it wasn’t Corypheus, a large rift in the sky or warring Nobles It would be Lord Trevelyan himself.  
  
“I love you both” The Inquisitor yawns, moving his hand to place on her stomach. “Don’t go..” He adds as she sees the anxious look in his eyes suddenly drawing him from his slumber, the worry of being on his own and not having her at his side when she attempts to move from her position.

“I’m not going anywhere” Cassandra gives him a weak smile as she leans forward to press her lips against his forehead. “I’ll still be here when you wake up, My Lord” The Seeker adds brushing her hand against his hair being careful not to place too much pressure anywhere on his bruised skin.  
  
“Stay with me, please?” The Inquisitor asks placing his hand on her leg so she cant move, he lifts his arms asking her to give him some comfort and be close to him.  
  
“I don’t want to hurt you” The Seeker sighs when she sees he isn’t going to give in, he obviously needed her to help him fall asleep like he has done so many times before. Cassandra carefully takes a hold of his hand and climbs completely onto their bed, she moves slowly as to not cause any sudden movement of his body and moves into the space next to him.  
  
“How can I heal if you aren’t with me?” He smiles as he watches her crawl into his waiting arms, Cassandra sees him wince slightly as she gently curls under his arm resting her head against his chest. She hears him sigh happily when he wraps an arm around her holding her at his side. “Just like after Haven.. In the snow” The Inquisitor sighs again making the Seeker close her eyes, what had happened after Haven seemed so long ago now. But it had been the first time she had laid in his arms and they had slept cuddled together after they’d found him close to death. He had asked for her then like he does now and she tried to help him heal with her presence.  
  
“I’m surprised you remember that” Lady Pentaghast whispers feeling the last few days catching up on her too, she buries her head into his chest as she feels him stroke his fingers against her back.  
  
“Of course I do” Lord Trevelyan replies bringing a hand up to her hair, smoothing the soft black strands between his fingers. “You found me.. You protected me and you took care of me” Cassandra sighs at his words, she did a lot less taking care of him than he remembered. She had broken her own promise to herself that night when she had finally allowed him to get close to her and break down the barriers she had placed around her heart. She had told herself that sleeping in his arms, with her head against his heart was something any friend would do after the event of seeing him attacked by a Dragon and potentially killed when Haven was destroyed. But they weren’t just friends, and that first time of having him taken from her made her realise she didn’t want to leave him ever again.  
  
“I did nothing.. I slept” Lady Pentaghast chuckles quietly remembering the look on her fellow advisors faces when they saw her emerge from his tent. The whispering had already started to happen, the rumours had already started to circulate.  
  
“The first time I kissed you” The Inquisitor sighs again when the Seeker curls tighter against his side. Cassandra smiles as he says this, yes he had kissed her in the shadows of the camp at Haven. It was so brief and yet so wonderful it had made her giddy “You had tried to keep me at arms length as much as possible so you didn’t reveal your feelings for me” Lord Trevelyan smiles as he bends his head to press his mouth against the top of her head.  
  
“I didn’t have feelings” Cassandra snorts “I was trying to warm you up and get you on your feet so we could get moving. You were slowing us down” She sighs feeling him laugh beneath her cheek.  
  
“Well I knew I loved you the moment I opened my eyes and saw you there” The Inquisitor whispers as Cassandra places her hand gently on his stomach.  
  
“You need to sleep” The Seeker says again thinking he has talked too much already and should be resting, not discussing the time he knew he loved her. Although she thought she would have to question him on this, another day when he was feeling more himself, how did he manage to pinpoint the moment so precisely? “Rest my sweet Inquisitor” Cassandra whispers smoothing her hand over his stomach again.  
  
“Until I can open my eyes and see you again” The Inquisitor replies quietly with another yawn, The Seeker continues to stroke him beneath her hand until she starts to feel his breathing even out and sleep take him.


	8. Time To Heal

Lady Pentaghast moves to lean over the edge of the tub, slowly dropping her hand into the water testing the temperature. She trails her fingers through the water enjoying the feeling of the warm water against her hand, swirling her fingers making small ripples on the surface. The Seeker reaches for another pale of boiling water that has been left for her, she lifts it carefully as to not spill it on the floor and pours it in to join the rest of the almost completely full bath. When she is happy with the temperature and thinks it will be just right she stands up again, slowly moving back towards her bed.

Cassandra lets her eyes wonder around the room seeing that the early morning light is trying to invade their sanctuary by streaming through the large velvet curtains that are drawn haphazardly across the window. She glances back at the inviting bath that steams into the cool room, the mixture of healing herbs and salts fragrance the air. All she had to do was wrangle him out of his clothes so she could inspect his injuries and get him into the clean water. The Seeker and Inquisitor often enjoyed a soothing bath after a long day and she had no doubt one would make him feel much better after his ordeal. Her eyes finally settle on the Inquisitor, Lord Trevelyan, who is still curled up on their bed. The Seeker steps quietly across the floor again to his side, she perches on the edge of the bed trying to see if he is still sleeping.  
  
“I’m hurt..” The Inquisitor sighs as the Seeker watches his shoulders sink, she had felt him fall into a deep sleep beside her that night but she knew his pain would be present the minute he had slept enough and began to come around. Cassandra bites her bottom lip wishing there was something else she could do for him, it would take more than potions and salves to heal him. It would take time.

“I know, my Love” Cassandra whispers reaching to place her hand on his shoulder, she pauses with a tiny gap between her hand and him wondering if she would bring him more pain if she touched him. The Seeker finally decides she needs to feel him beneath her palm as much as he is, comforted by her. “This might hurt Inquisitor” Lady Pentaghast watches him nod in understanding. “Can you sit up for me?” She asks stroking her hand gently against his shoulder.

  
“I’ll try” The Inquisitor groans when he rolls over onto his back, his face matching the white of their sheets when pain shoots through him. The Seeker places her arm around his shoulders helping him bend in two and sit up.  
  
“There” Cassandra gives him a reassuring smile as she bends down in front of him, she takes hold of his hands helping him swing his legs over the edge of the bed so he is sat up. “Look how well you are doing” The Seeker gives him another smile making the corner of his mouth tug up. Cassandra looks into his face, her eyes dropping to the split in his lip that would surely add another scar to his handsome face. The Seeker already knew her lover was covered in scars but it was hard for her to see him like this.  
  
“I don’t want you to see what they did to me” The Inquisitor mumbles dropping his eyes from her. “If the rest of me looks as bad as my face feels, I don’t want you to see me like this” Lord Trevelyan adds pressing the tip of his tongue into the cut on his lip. Cassandra watches as he lifts his hands to his face feeling the cuts, bruises and swollen lumps beneath his fingers. “Does it look bad?” He asks her again catching her eyes. He looked like he had gone sixteen rounds with a high dragon.  
  
“It will heal” The Seeker replies, placing her hands over his on his cheeks. “In a few weeks time the cuts will be gone, the bruises will fade and you will be back to normal” She adds rubbing her fingers against the back of his hands. “I still think you are the most wonderful thing I’ve ever seen” The Seeker smiles again making him blush beneath the deep purple bruising. “You don’t have to hide anything from me, Inquisitor. I can handle seeing what they’ve done if I can help take away the pain” Cassandra adds trying to give him a positive nod, she didn’t want to see what hid under his clothes but the large amount of blood told her it had been bad.

“You still shouldn’t have to see me in this state” He chuckles when she shakes her head at him.  
  
“I have seen plenty of war wounds before Inquisitor, on myself, members of my order.. Even you” She sighs again. “I saw you stabbed remember” Cassandra leans forward to rest her head against his. “Lets get you into the bath” She adds moving to press her lips to a small place that doesn’t look as bad as the rest.

The Seeker watches him nod, she wondered if he was also concerned about seeing how much damage they’d done to him too. Lady Pentaghast stands up holding her hands out to him again, he places his hands in hers letting her pull him up to his feet. The Inquisitor winces and bites his bottom lip to stop himself crying out as he stands for a moment trying to get his balance on his sore legs.  
  
“I’m okay,” The Inquisitor croaks feeling how weak his legs are beneath him. Cassandra places her hands on his hips holding him steady for a moment making sure that he is okay. “Shirt first” Lord Trevelyan says placing his hands over hers again. The Seeker nods looking into his face, she places her hands gently on his shoulders sliding them slowly down to his chest. She feels him move beneath her hands when her fingers find sensitive and painful places.  
  
“I’ve never seen so much blood,” The Seeker whispers as he ducks his head looking at the dried rusty red stained shirt beneath her hands. The Inquisitor nods watching her move her fingers to the buttons slowly undoing one at a time exposing more of his chest and the dark red vial that hangs at his neck on a piece of leather, pulsing angrily. Cassandra pauses feeling a lump begging to form in her throat, she usually enjoyed undressing her lover but this made her heart hurt. “I wish you wouldn’t wear that vial” The Seeker whispers again seeing him drop his eyes to the small bottle. Solas had given it to him and told him to always carry it with him, he’d told them that it was the only way he could protect Cassandra and that there would come a time that he would need to use it.  
  
“He said it would protect you if I keep it” The inquisitor replies lowering his voice too. “I have to do everything I can to keep you safe Cass” The Inquisitor sighs when the Seeker shakes her head. “I’ll take it off..” He adds grabbing hold of the vial, lifting it off over his head. The Seeker knew it contained their blood, but she also knew something else was taking place inside the glass bottle. Something evil and dangerous. Solas had warned her that if she touched it something terrible would happen to them both.  
  
“I don’t like it” Cassandra snorts quietly watching him drop it onto the bed. “So much blood” The Seeker whispers again dropping her eyes to his skin that she has exposed that is covered with red.  
  
“I’m alive” The Inquisitor whispers trying to catch her eyes again. “I’m alive Cass, that’s all the blood shows,” He adds moving his hands to her hips feeling her falter in her actions. Cassandra nods dropping her eyes to the skin she has exposed, she continues undoing his buttons finally able to open his shirt exposing himself to her. The Seeker immediately notices the tight bandage wrapped around his middle, it is dirty and stained but has been applied to protect the area that she can see deep blue and purple bruising showing through at his stomach. Cassandra tucks her fingers into the bandage gently un-tucking it, dropping it to the floor showing her that it looks like he received boots to his ribs. She lets her eyes wonder over the broad expanse of his chest at the cuts and nicks from blades that have bled through the cotton. “Not so bad hmm?” The Inquisitor asks making her shake her head, maybe a few broken ribs that would be sore for a few weeks and some surface cuts.. Nothing that would heal badly.  
  
“Not so bad” Cassandra gives him a reassuring look; she places her hands on his chest again slipping them under his lapels so she can slide the shirt off of his shoulders and down his arms helping him out of it. Cassandra takes the shirt in her hands letting it drop to the floor.  
  
“When the Bandits found out who I was..” The Inquisitor begins biting at his bottom lip again. “They tried to cut off my arm” Lord Trevelyan adds when the Seeker places her hand on his bare shoulder, she moves her hand slowly onto his shoulder blade that has another bandage wrapped tightly around it. “There, that is where they cut me” Cassandra feels him flinch at her touch as her hands comes into contact with a place that they have tried to cut through his arm to take his mark, The Seeker frowns slightly.  
  
“Who stitched you up?” Cassandra asks when she feels the familiar sign of small sutures through his skin. The Seeker places her hands on his shoulders again turning him around so she can see his back; Cassandra feels the breath catch in her throat when she sees the wounds he has sustained. She lets her fingers hover over the bandage at his shoulder, slowly untying it and discarding that too. She would need to re-bandage him when she had cleaned his wounds.  
  
“Cullen” The Inquisitor whispers. “I was bleeding out when he found me, he stitched me up the best he could” Lord Trevelyan sighs as he drops his head closing his eyes. “And that one” He adds when Cassandra lowers her eyes to the large white padding that has been fastened to his back with more webbing. “That is the worst of them.. I think the blood mainly came from there” He sighs again.  
  
“Cullen did this?” Lady Pentaghast shakes her head, all Templars and Seekers were taught basic field medicine that was supposed to be quick, efficient and hopefully life saving. She couldn’t imagine how difficult it had been for the Commander to have to tend to the Inquisitor like this, she knew Cullen would have done anything he could to get the Inquisitor back to Skyhold in one piece but putting those skills to the test was something else.  
  
“He didn’t even hesitate” The Inquisitor smiles slightly, Cassandra was relieved the Commander had gone instead of her, she didn’t think she would have been able to keep her hands from shaking at the thought of hurting him further.  
  
“These will feel much better once we’ve cleaned them and put clean dressings on them” The Seeker gently removes the dressing seeing the very deep stab wound that she is surprised hasn’t hit any vital organs on its way through him. Cassandra inspects it wondering how he managed to make it back when its clear he lost so much blood. “How did you get back here?” Cassandra turns him around again letting her eyes travel over the smaller cuts and scrapes, the knocks on his knuckles and the blunt injuries dotted on his skin. “You can barely stand let alone ride a horse”  
  
“He loves you, you know?” The Inquisitor replies looking into her face when she looks at him again. “It has never been the lyrium.. Cullen loves you Cassandra” Lord Trevelyan says again making her snort.  
  
“So what if he says he does?” The Seeker asks placing her hands on his waist again, she strokes her fingers gently against the skin she finds.  
  
“When I was lying there surrounded by the Bandits that I’d killed, beneath the fade rift that I’d forced open to destroy them all, I was begging the Maker to take me to be with my brother” Lord Trevelyan says making Cassandra’s nose wrinkle not wanting to hear this. She should have known that he would use the mark on them, continue to destroy the balance and the sky so he could take his revenge. “I’d killed the one that had stabbed me so deep I was sure it was all over for me and knew I was going to end up just like him.. Then Cullen appeared” The Inquisitor adds catching her eyes wanting her to hear his story even if she doesn’t want to.

“You were begging the Maker to take you? You didn’t think to ask Andraste to bring you back to me?” Cassandra snorts as he places his hands on her hips pulling her closer to him.  
  
“Andraste wouldn’t listen.. Not after what I did to those..” The Inquisitor sighs thinking about it “Those murderers.. I was no better than them and Andraste abandoned me so I had to beg for the Maker to end my suffering. Cullen found me and do you know what he told me?” Lord Trevelyan asks receiving a shake of her head from the Seeker. “He told me that he loved you with every part of his being and that he should leave me to die, return to you and be there to comfort you until you became his” The Inquisitor lowers his voice to a whisper.  
  
“Why would you even believe that?” Cassandra asks when she sees the edge of his mouth tug into a smile.  
  
“I didn’t. I told him he could go to hell and that I refused to let him have you. He worked hard to get me stable and stop the bleeding; he patched me up and gave me medicine to help me walk.. He carried me when I couldn’t hold me own weight any longer and he led me when I was weak from exhaustion” Cassandra sighs hearing this making the Inquisitor smile again. “But what really got me back to Skyhold were his words as we started the journey back here” Lord Trevelyan shakes his head remembering them.  
  
“What did he say?” Cassandra raises her eyebrows, wondering what other useful advice Cullen might have had for her Inquisitor.  
  
“He said that we would race back to Skyhold, first one through the gates would claim the woman we love” The Inquisitor chuckles again that makes him wince and move his hand to his ribs. “I couldn’t win such a race.. How could I? He led me the entire time, he carried me when I couldn’t go any further and then when we were about to step through the gates he pushed me forward and made me walk to you. He said it is fine for a man to want the love of a woman but that woman must want the love of the man in return”  
  
“I’m not a prize that can be claimed” Cassandra lets out a little huff wondering what would have happened if The Commander had decided to try and claim her, the Inquisitor had been in no state to defend her. “But I waited for you.. You are what matters to me” The Seeker feels him place his hands on her waist again leaning forward to capture her mouth with his, she places her hands around his shoulders forgetting for a moment his injuries and just thinking about how long it had been since he’d kissed her.  
  
The Seeker reluctantly removes her mouth from his when she feels him tense beneath her touch, she becomes instantly worried about hurting him so carefully drops her hands from his neck. Cassandra watches him dart his tongue out to moisten his lip.  
  
“I should get cleaned up” The Inquisitor croaks trying to gather himself and restrain himself from kissing her again, Cassandra nods giving him a small smile. He needed medical attention, not for her to be throwing herself at him. The Seeker takes a hold of his hand again leading him over to the bath, letting him walk as slowly as he needs. “That smells good”

“It should be the perfect temperature by now” Lady Pentaghast gives him a reassuring smile when she moves her hands to the top of his breeches again, she carefully undoes them helping him slide them down his legs. Cassandra sees the cuts on his legs and scuffs and bruises on his kneecaps thinking it is no wonder he is feeling tender on his feet. “Step out” The Seeker says helping him lift one foot at a time to step out of his trousers until he is naked in front of her.

“I wish you could join me,” Lord Trevelyan chuckles. “I know I’m dirty right now though” He adds glancing into the warm water that is waiting for him and then back at Lady Pentaghast.  
  
“Next time, My Lord Inquisitor” The Seeker says placing her arm on his shoulders again guiding him closer to the bath, she lets him hold onto her so he can step into it without throwing him off balance. Cassandra watches as he slowly lowers himself into the hot water causing the steam to rise around him, he lets out a satisfied sigh as he sinks up to his chin. Lady Pentaghast watches the day’s worth of mud, blood and grime begin to turn the water murky. “How is that?” Cassandra asks him, chuckling a little when he slides in further submerging his head.

“Perfect” The Inquisitor sighs again as he surfaces up to his chin again, he brings his hands out of the water to rub over his head and close cut hair removing the dirt and water. The Seeker sees the bruising more closely now he has started removing the dried blood and dirt but can now see more of him than his injuries.  
  
“Come here” The Seeker whispers fixing her eyes on the cuts on his knuckles as he rubs the skin on his face trying to clean himself. Cassandra reaches for a washcloth, dunking it into the water to get it wet before she holds it in front of his face. “This will help” She adds as he lets her move the cloth over his face and neck, careful to not rub too hard on his angry looking places. “Ashton” Lady Pentaghast sighs, she was going to need to broach the subject.

“Hmm?” The Inquisitor asks leaning his head forward so she can scrub his back and shoulders with them clothe.

“Would you like to talk about what happened to Henry?” She asks hoping she isn’t pushing too soon for him to open up and help him grieve. “You know you can talk to me about anything.. I know you were angry when you heard and I know you had your reasons for what you did, but if you need to talk I want you to talk to me. I don’t want you to bottle anything up or think you are on your own in this. I know how you are feeling.. I know how it feels to have someone you love taken from you. Its natural to be feeling the way you are, but I want to help” Cassandra blurts out pausing her cleaning of his back with her cloth. “I love you and want you to know you can confide in me,” She adds watching him nod.

“I have a long journey ahead of me to Ostwick, which will give me time to think” The Inquisitor nods trying to give her a reassuring smile that comes out more as a grimace. “I don’t want to talk about him yet, but I will” He adds.

“I’m still coming to Ostwick with you. We will take Henry home. We will write a letter to your family today and when you are fit to travel we will go” The Seeker says watching him shake his head..  
  
“I cant expect you to come with me, this isn’t the trip I intended for us” The Inquisitor sighs when The Seeker drops the cloth into the water again and begins rubbing his chest and stomach with it.

“Of course it isn’t, but we have to do it. I can’t let you go alone..” Cassandra leans in to nuzzle her mouth against his cheek. “I don’t want you out of my sight and I want to be there for you, pay my respects to your brother” The Seeker adds making him smile lightly. “Now finish getting cleaned up so I can get some clean bandages on you and put you back to bed” Lady Pentaghast leans in to kiss him again making him nod, they were lucky to have each other.


	9. At Sea

Lady Cassandra Allegra Portia Calogera Filomena Pentaghast, Seeker and 78th in line to the Nevarran Throne, knew that the three days they had waited to begin the journey to Ostwick wasn’t enough time for her Inquisitor’s body to heal, let alone his fragile mind after the death of his brother. However within three days of his return they were packing for the long road ahead of them, planning the route they would take to get there in the least amount of time but also the easiest route bearing in mind that they were going to be transporting Lord Henry Trevelyan’s body back to his family.  
  
Her love, the Inquisitor, had written the hardest letter he had ever had to do that next morning to inform his Mother and Father, his brothers wife and children, that he had been attacked and killed on his way to Skyhold. The Seeker had sat at his side the entire time comforting as she watched his hand struggle to write the words, faltering when he had to finally place into writing what had happened. The Inquisitor had been hurt, more than he had been for a long time when he sought revenge on the bandits that took his brothers life. Cassandra knew that the bruising and wounds would heal but he would never get over the grief he felt and the guilt for his actions leading to his eldest siblings death.  
  
They had decided it would be best to travel with the least amount of attachment as possible, they didn’t want to draw too much attention to the Inquisitor party that would be travelling to Ostwick and they didn’t want to bring the full strength of the Inquisitor’s forces across the sea and into the Free Marches. Cassandra knew that the Free Marchers were suspicious of outsiders; they had very little organized structure between the cities and regions and liked to keep themselves to themselves. They had agreed it would be best to carry this out as quickly and quietly as they could, no Inquisition banners or pomp and splendor. They all knew this would put the Inquisitor at risk if word got out that he was travelling without much protection, after all for all the friends and influence he had, he had also made a lot of very powerful enemies. Lady Pentaghast was relieved when Commander Cullen had volunteered to travel with them, with a very small handful of his soldiers to assist with Henry’s body and their provisions. As much as she knew her Lord Trevelyan was an unstoppable force, he was still injured and would risk himself to protect her. At least with Cullen at their side he could help keep the situation under control. The Spymaster, Leliana, had agreed to send some of her scouts ahead to ensure they didn’t run into any trouble on the road and she would make sure that they arrived at Ostwick unnoticed before the main party.  
  
Lady Pentaghast groans when she feels the large lurch of the ship when it is forced out of the water by another wave of fast flowing water and the current rough sea conditions. They had used this route many times before, sailing from Jader to the other Cities located on the edge of the sea meant they spent a lot less time trying to navigate over mountains on horse back. If the conditions were good, they could half the time they spent travelling by sailing for a few days before cutting inland. Cassandra groans again and curls herself up tighter into a ball, she had never been a fan of the time spent on the water but she had never found herself feeling so unwell before.  
  
“Can I get you anything?” Lord Trevelyan asks glancing over his shoulder from his spot at the window. The Seeker feels his eyes on her and hears the worry in his voice, wondering what kind of state she looked to be in, she could only imagine this sickness had just as much to do with their growing child as it did the rough conditions of the sea. The last two weeks had been trying, the worry of his actions after he had heard the news of his brother had left her a wreck and then they only had three days to gather themselves before this trip. Cassandra felt drained and exhausted, they’d spent three days travelling through the mountains from Skyhold, another whole day in the saddle to reach Jader and then she knew they had at least another three days at sea before they would reach Ostwick.  
  
“Tell him to stop steering us at the waves” Lady Pentaghast replies with another groan, she brings her hands to her stomach wishing this nausea would leave her so she could at least get some rest. The Seeker watches as her sweet Inquisitor leaves the space that he was standing in, looking through the window and out across the sea. He approaches the small wooden bed that the Seeker finds herself curled up on. Their cabin was small but they had everything they needed to be kept comfortable enough and it was certainly more luxurious than anything they would find below deck where the soldiers were bunking together. They had a small window, a quaint wooden table just big enough for two to sit at with two wooden stools, the bed and some space at opposite side for their trunks. The ceiling was as low that the Inquisitor had to duck his head between the beams but it meant he could place his hands on them as he walked to keep his balance if he needed to.  
  
“He has to steer into the waves or we would be knocked off course and the rocking would be even worse than it is now. He has to cut straight through them” Lord Trevelyan replies giving her a small smile, she hated that he knew everything.  
  
“I do not care” Cassandra huffs wrapping her arm around her stomach again, she hoped this wasn’t going to be a sign to come that she was destined to suffer with sickness for the rest of her pregnancy. So far she had managed to avoid most of the side affects that people had begin telling her about, although she had to admit she was definitely more tired than usual and her feet were swelling. She hears the Inquisitor chuckle at her response, he never seemed phased by her moods.  
  
“Maybe I could get you some tea?” The Inquisitor asks when he reaches the bed, he crouches down next to her trying to keep the slight wince from his face at the pain he still feels from his broken ribs and the stab wound on his back. “Would that make you feel better?” He asks her again reaching his hand out to place it on her stomach making her smile lightly and forget the feeling of her insides tying itself in knots. “This will soon pass” The Inquisitor whispers resting his arms on the edge of the bed moving his hand to brush the hair back from her face.  
  
“Maybe some tea soon would be good” Lady Pentaghast gives him a reassuring smile, she didn’t think she could stomach anything let alone tea, but he was trying to help and was concerned about her. “You always look after me so well, ” Cassandra adds looking into his face. The bruising on his face had settled into a nice deep purple and yellow colour, his eyes were still swollen and the cuts and scrapes were slowly healing. The cut at his lip still looked angry, she had decided it was because he was either always talking or had his mouth attached to her. That is how she had ended up in this state in the first place, it was all his fault.  
  
“I wish I could do more” Lord Trevelyan replies brushing his thumb against her cheek making her smile at him again, she still saw the pain behind his eyes and knew the worst was not over yet. He was trying to remain positive and be the man she loved, but he was finding it difficult to not close in on himself and keep his sadness from her. She knew when they reached Ostwick and he had to face his family, that would be when he needed her most. “I’m sorry we had to spend so much time at sea when you are feeling so unwell..” He adds leaning up to press his lips to hers.  
  
“They said I may have side affects” Cassandra nods showing him that she is okay, she places her hand on his arm trying to comfort him and reassure him that he is doing everything he can for her. “I have never been good at sea. You were born by the water” The Seeker chuckles; Ostwick was on the coast and the easiest way to get there was by the water. “I am more of an inland dweller,” She adds seeing him smile.  
  
“You just need practice, time to get your sea legs” The Inquisitor smiles again not noticing Cassandra doesn’t look so sure, she knew they had to make this trip but something about it made her feel uneasy. She so wanted to love Ostwick as much as he did but she wondered how he would feel once they were there.  
  
“I just need for us to reach dry land so we can rest” Cassandra chuckles as she sits up a little so she can lean forward to press a kiss against the side of his head, she nuzzles her mouth against his hair making him smile again. “A nice hot bath” The Seeker adds with a happy sigh. “A nice soft bed” She sighs again when he reaches to cup her face in his hands capturing her mouth with his. She feels the Inquisitor stand leaning over her to direct her onto her back. He was too injured to be be trying to entice him into their bed, his wounds were far from healed and she knew every time she touched him it hurt.  
  
“I would give up soft,” The Inquisitor mumbles between kisses. “Just to have one that does not creak so much,” He adds when she moves her hands to rest at the base of his neck. She was having to be so careful with him so not to slow down his recovery, but his mouth and lips were always so demanding and his kisses full of urgency that she had found it impossible to keep her hands off of him. The Seeker had to admit his mouth was a welcome distraction to the summersaults her stomach was doing.  
  
“What would you know of creaking beds at sea Inquisitor?” The Seeker narrows her eyes at him when he pulls away from her slightly. She hears the Inquisitor laugh, the first real laugh she has heard from him in days and smirks. She had no doubt he knew a great many things that she didn’t, but he always seemed happy to educate her.

“Would you like me to demonstrate?” He asks giving her a smirk of his own as The Seeker places her hands on his shoulders again, she takes hold of his shirt in her hands pulling him down onto the bed with her. Cassandra giggles when she lets him guide her onto her back again, he moves to place his hands either side of her head looking down at her. The Seeker mentally berates herself, he had stitches he was going to be splitting if she let him continue with the way this was heading. She’d seen how hard he had found the journey so far, yet as soon as he placed his hands on her she was unable to resist him.  
  
“I thought you were getting me tea” Lady Pentaghast giggles again as she watches the Inquisitor making quick work of placing himself between her legs, Cassandra wraps her legs loosely around his hips as she slides her hands beneath the back of his shirt being careful to not touch the places she knows he is still hurting.

“I think this is better, don’t you?” The Inquisitor asks leaning down to press his mouth to hers again in a kiss that leaves her breathless and whimpering against his lips, she slides her hands around his neck again resting her hands on his shoulders. It had been nearly two weeks since they had comforted each other like this and she had been able to get lost completely in her lover.  
  
“Always My Lord” Cassandra hears herself pant when he removes his lips from her again, she is sure the way that he always kisses her must leave her mouth swollen. The Seeker knew that it always lit a fire in her that craved her lovers attention and affection.  
  
“When I have finished sharing with you all of the advantages of making love at sea, I will make you tea” Lord Trevelyan adds moving his mouth to her throat making her sigh under his touch. “You can lay here bask in the glow of our love and I will bring you something nice to eat and drink” He chuckles as she smiles again when he places his hands on her hips.  
  
“So considerate of all my needs” Lady Pentaghast gives him a small smile making him laugh again. Cassandra watches as her lover leans back until he is kneeling up, she moves to rest her hands on his thighs while he gazes at her. “I can add them to my ever growing list of the advantages of making love to you” The Seeker giggles when he grins at her, she lets her eyes move to his hands when he takes hold of the bottom of his shirt, watching as he lifts it off and over his head. “Getting to enjoy the sight of you is very high on the list” Cassandra bites her bottom lip when she lets her eyes travel over his broad chest.  
  
“Even in this state you still find me pleasing?” The Inquisitor asks as he drops his shirt to the floor and leans down into her again, resting his body flush against hers. Cassandra slowly slides her hands down his stomach being careful of the ribs she knows are broken.  
  
“I think you are perfect” Lady Pentaghast sighs again when he moves his mouth to her neck again; placing gentle kisses under her jaw. The Seeker places her hands on his shoulders rubbing her palms down to his chest “I am so glad you decided to leave that vial at home though.. Its frightening” Cassandra adds feeling him pause in his actions suddenly sitting up looking confused.  
  
“What?” He asks kneeling back again, she sees his hands fly to his throat feeling for the vial that is supposed to be hanging there. “Where is it?” He asks a look of panic suddenly spreading across his face. The Seeker watches as he looks down at his chest, suddenly realising that it is missing and not where it should be.  
  
“I thought you’d left it behind,” Lady Pentaghast says suddenly feeling the loss of him close to her when he climbs off of her and off of the bed. “Why does it matter Ashton? I don’t think you should wear it” Cassandra adds watching as the Inquisitor picks up his shirt again frantically patting it trying to find his vial, she hears him sigh with frustration when he cant find it.  
  
“I already told you Cass, I cant risk not having it” Lord Trevelyan replies glancing back at her.

“Come back to bed..” The Seeker coos at him watching him stride over to the small wooden table and chairs. He picks up his leather coat beginning to search through the pockets and the lining hoping it has slipped off when he removed it. “Ash..” Cassandra sighs when he continues to shake his coat listening for anything dropping from it. “Inquisitor” She says again raising her voice slightly.  
  
“What if I’ve lost it?” The Inquisitor asks biting his bottom lip, his brown furrowing in confusion. “No, I had it on me.. I definitely was wearing it this morning,” He adds poking his finger into the dimple on his chin.  
  
“We can look for it together later” Lady Pentaghast huffs when he walks past her again towards the trunks that they have had loaded onto the ship with their belongings in. Cassandra sighs when he crouches down in front of the trunk, his hand moving to push open the latch opening it. “Ashton” The Seeker huffs again wriggling to the edge of the bed, she places her feet on the floor watching him again.

“It has to be here..” The Inquisitor mumbles throwing open the lid of the trunk. He begins rummaging through their clothing and shoes, taking out handfuls of items so he can search better. Lord Trevelyan suddenly looks up when Cassandra huffs once more lying back down on the bed, rolling over so she is facing away from him and facing the wall. The Inquisitor pulls himself to his feet approaching the bed again when he sees that the Seeker is sulking. “You are adorable when you are upset with me” Lord Trevelyan chuckles when Cassandra turns to look at him giving him a cool stare.  
  
“I’m tired, I’m going to sleep” Lady Pentaghast replies turning her head away again. “Try and keep your noise down and make sure you tidy up that mess,” She adds making the Inquisitor laugh out loud again. Cassandra lets out a loud giggle when the Inquisitor jumps up onto the bed, placing his feet either side of her body causing her to bounce on the thin mattress. “Stop!” The Seeker giggles when he drops to his knees so she is pinned beneath him. Lord Trevelyan places a hand either side of her head again looking down into her face.  
  
“You can have my complete and undivided attention I promise” The Inquisitor whispers leaning down to nuzzle his mouth against her cheek. “Let me just find it and then I am all yours.. Okay?” He asks giving her a soft kiss before she nods at him. “Its to keep you safe” Lord Trevelyan adds pressing another light kiss against her bottom lip.  
  
“I know” Cassandra sighs accepting another kiss from him, she places her hands onto his bare chest pushing him away from her. The Inquisitor climbs up again and off of the bed, going back to his search through the trunk. “You look tired” The Seeker lowers her voice as she watches his bare back, her eyes moving to the bandaged areas as he starts throwing things out of the chest again.  
  
“It’s just been a very long few months” The Inquisitor sighs making Cassandra nod, their whole lives had changed in both the most amazing ways possible but also for the worst. The Seeker knew as soon as they arrived in Ostwick she would see the struggle that would begin in his mind, as soon as he was back into the loving warmth of the Trevelyan family would he ever want to return with her to Thedas? Would he want to continue their fight with the Inquisition? Maybe he would finally turn tail like she had always thought he had the right to, return to his quiet life with his family and forget all about her. “I just need to go home” Lord Trevelyan adds making the Seeker bite her bottom lip, Skyhold was their home and now he was having his doubts.  
  
“I’m sure they are eager to see you, even under the circumstances” Lady Pentaghast nods again suddenly feeling an awkward silence between them, she refused to let it be like this with them. They talked about everything, they shared everything and this wasn’t going to be the way things were between them. The Seeker watches as he suddenly lifts his hand from the trunk, the vial clasped firmly in his fist.

“I knew it was here somewhere.. But how did it get in there?” The Inquisitor mumbles wrapping the length of leather around his neck, tying it as tight as he can so it doesn’t get lost again.  
  
“Don’t you think they will be pleased to see you?” Cassandra asks him again watching as the Inquisitor places his hand over the vial, seeming to be very relieved to have it around his neck again. The Seeker sees him just shrug indifferently.  
  
“Until I tell them its my fault Henry died” Lord Trevelyan replies coolly with a shake of his head, Cassandra sees the tension in his jaw when he begins thinking about what happened. The Seeker reaches out to catch his hand in hers when he walks past her again, she feels him pull back reluctantly letting her guide him back to the bed. He sits down on the edge next to her with a bump.  
  
“It wasn’t your fault” Cassandra catches his eyes with hers trying to reassure him, yes he had made the decision not to deal with the bandits by force immeditatly, but he had made that decision to try and save others and stop a full blown war breaking out. He had no way of knowing that Henry would have been caught up in it all and been attacked.  
  
“I hope they see things the way you do, Seeker” Lord Trevelyan takes both of her hands in his when she clutches them tighter, the ship giving another large lurch sending everything below deck sliding about. “Don’t be afraid” The Inquisitor brings her hands up so he can place a gentle kiss on her knuckles.  
  
“They love you Ashton” Lady Pentaghast replies watching him move his mouth to her other hand placing a kiss there too. “They will know you would never do anything to purposely endanger any of them.. You didn’t have a choice,” Cassandra adds watching him shake his head in disagreement.  
  
“Of course I had a choice. I should have crushed them like ants with our army.. I should have listened to Cullen and I should have taken action immediately. I refused to act quickly enough and this is what happened. Next time I show no mercy” The Inquisitor announces making Cassandra snort, she was a woman of action and a Seeker but mercy was the one thing they had that kept them above a common vigilante group. She believed in doing good and making sure that there were minimal casualties and people caught in the cross fire, what he was talking about was a heavy-handed approach of a tyrant.

“Don’t say that..” Cassandra whispers letting go of his hands. “That isn’t who you are, that isn’t who we are,” The Seeker adds as she frowns again. “You are a good person and I know you don’t believe that is the solution”  
  
“If I had used that solution, Henry would still be alive” The Inquisitor huffs and fidgets in place on the edge of the bed. Cassandra watches as he places his hands on his knees dropping his head, he brings his hands to rub over his face. “His blood is on my hands,” He adds lifting his hands to look at them, as if expecting to see the red staining there.  
  
“You saved those people.. That is what we do Ashton, we help people” Lady Pentaghast reaches her hand out to him, she could see he was still angry but he was placing the blame entirely on himself.  
  
“What thanks do I get? Other than having to escort his body to my mother?” The Inquisitor snaps when she places her hand on his back. “I have this power and you are all trying to stop me from using it unless I am closing rifts” Lord Trevelyan sighs as The Seeker sees him prod at the space on his hand where the mark would burst from. She knew he had created a fade rift to deal with the Bandits and she knew the energy and power that he had was becoming more dangerous and volatile. The Inquisitor pulls away from her touch and gets to his feet, he almost hits his head on the beams he stands up so fast.  
  
“That power is dangerous, Solas said..” Cassandra begins looking into his face. He was convincing himself that the right thing to do was unleash his mark on anyone that stood in their way.  
  
“I do not care what Solas said,” The Inquisitor snaps. “You are holding me back. There is no one that can stand in my way and everyone should be afraid of me. They shouldn’t be asking us to complete such trivial tasks; I want to see fear when they see me and my Inquisition forces. We are not here to fetch herbs and herd goats,” He snorts placing his hands on his hips, Cassandra feels her eyes widen in surprise.

“I know you don’t mean that” The Seeker replies trying hard not to raise her voice, he was grieving and had every right to be upset but she feared the mark was changing him. Cassandra knew deep in her heart this wasn’t him talking, her Inquisitor was gentle and kind, not the monster she was seeing peaking through in front of her.  
  
“Every word” The Inquisitor growls angrily when she shakes her head at him, looking disappointed. Cassandra swallows hard and moves to sit up further when he approaches her again looking angry “You don’t get to look at me like that” He shouts raising his finger to point at her. “You are supposed to do as I say because I am the Inquisitor” He adds the anger raging behind his eyes.  
  
"I can look at you however I want to” Cassandra snaps batting his hand away, angry that he would be so rude to her. “This is disappointment in you Lord Inquisitor, in case you couldn’t read my current thoughts on you and your actions” Lady Pentaghast gets to her feet seeing that her words are not phasing him. “I do not care if you are the Inquisitor. I wont let you destroy what we have worked so hard to create” Cassandra snaps at him again watching him stomp around their room. “You are acting like a bully.. You are acting like a thug,” Cassandra shouts at him seeing him clenching his fists in anger, she wanted to grab him and shake him.. This wasn’t him, he didn’t act this way and he had no reason to be so angry with her.

“Well I am disappointed in you too,” He adds kicking at the wooden table causing it to split and fall to the floor. Cassandra watches him pick up his jacket, forcing it onto his arms almost splitting it when he tugs it too hard. “You wanted me to lead the Inquisition and I am, you chose me”  
  
“Maybe I was mistaken” She looks at his face seeing that she has hit a nerve with him. “Maybe you are completely the wrong choice for the Inquisition” She shouts as he stomps towards the door, clearly thinking he can end their argument by storming out.  
  
“You made your choice,” He snarls as he reaches for the door handle. “Now you have no choice but to do as I say or leave” He glances over his shoulder at her, his eyes angry and fixed on her. “Anything else?” He asks daring her to continue her shouting.  
  
“Maybe I made the wrong choice for me” She replies trying to keep the emotion from her voice when she sees her comment hit him right in the gut, she sees him nod slowly at her response that was directed right through his heart. “Get out” Lady Pentaghast whispers, turning her back on him. She didn’t want to listen to him anymore, her sweet Ashton wasn’t there anymore.  
  
“I’m going” Lord Trevelyan whispers, her words sinking in. “I need some air” The Inquisitor sighs as he exits their room slamming the door hard behind him.


	10. Self Defence

Lady Pentaghast closes her eyes with a sigh when she sees the tall white towers of Ostwick come into view, knowing that it wont be long before they are due to be docking and will be making their way to the estate. The Seeker hadn’t seen Ostwick and its beautiful ornate white architecture for many years, she had briefly visited as a child during a Grand Tourney with her Uncle and Brother and then once again during her training as a Seeker, both times not staying very long. She feels her stomach tighten in knots again when she thinks about why they are visiting the Free Marches in the first place. They had a duty to return Lord Henry Trevelyan to his family and they would be there for his funeral. Cassandra lets her eyes open and settle once more on the towers, seeing the bright morning sunshine make them shimmer against the beautiful blue sky. She sighs again leaning against the railing that runs around the edge of the deck, looking further ahead of them at the busy port they are about to enter. The Seeker wanted nothing more than to stay on the ship, as much as she hated it, and return to Skyhold. They hadn’t spoken since their argument and the Inquisitor had made every effort he could to pretend she wasn’t even there, she had heard him storming around the ship several times challenging anyone that questioned his foul mood, but had kept out of his way.  
  
“Lady Seeker, I’m so glad to see you are up and about” The Commander’s voice comes from behind her as he moves towards where she stands. Cassandra had remained in their room, eating all of her meals in the privacy of the cabin, trying to stamp down the feeling of heartbreak that was threatening to overwhelm her. She rested and tried to sleep through the worry she now had for her future, a future potentially without the Inquisitor. She knew he was acting out of character, but part of her wondered if this was truly the man he was destined to become. If that were the case, she would have to be without him. “The Inquisitor said you were unwell..” Cullen adds as he leans over the railing at her side, Cassandra glances at him giving him a small nod seeing the concern on his face.  
  
“Did he?” Lady Pentaghast sniffs looking at her friend, she had been feeling unwell but that wasn’t the reason she had been confined to her cabin. “The sea doesn’t agree with me” Cassandra adds giving him a reassuring smile. “I’m fine” The Seeker nods again looking back to the city.  
  
“I know it’s none of my business.. But I heard you both shouting” The Commander begins as the Seeker looks to him again, he was dressed in his finest for the last part of their journey and looked very smart as was befitting the Commander of the Inquisition. They would need to ride a short way from the city centre to reach the Trevelyan estate but they had to look the part when they arrived. “It’s not like you to argue..” Cullen whispers looking around him to check no one is listening before looking back at Cassandra.  
  
“Why did you tell him you love me?” The Seeker asks watching his face, she sees him drop his eyes suddenly feeling exposed before looking up at her once more.  
  
“Because I do” The Commander sighs leaning back from the rail, he places his hands on the wood squeezing it beneath his bare palms. Cullen looks over his shoulder when he hears people are beginning to prepare for docking and they will soon not be on their own.  
  
“But why did you tell him?” Cassandra asks watching him fidget, she too looks around expecting the Inquisitor to appear at any moment and continue his shouting at her. “What could you gain from him knowing?” Cassandra frowns slightly when Cullen lets out a laugh.  
  
“I gain nothing from him knowing Cassandra” The Commander chuckles again “I didn’t tell him for my benefit but for his, when I found him..” Cullen begins glancing off into the distance, the Seeker knew it must not have been a good time for him and they hadn’t spoken about what had happened. “He had lost his fight Seeker, he was dying and he’d given up” The Commander looks at her biting nervously at the corner of his mouth. “I had to get the fire in him burning, what better way than to tell him I’d claim you as my own unless he stopped me and beat me to Skyhold?” He asks setting his eyes on hers.  
  
“He told me that you saved him” Cassandra whispers thankful for the Commander in everyway. “I saw the stiches..” She adds seeing Cullen nod. “You did a much better job than I could have done” Lady Pentaghast leans back from the railing too, placing her hand over his.  
  
“I was a little out of practice” The Commander smiles looking down at her hand, he lets her slip her fingers through his wishing her affection was more than just friendship. “I did what anyone would have done in that situation. He was close to death when I found him; he’d lost so much blood I was sure he would die.. But slowly we managed to make progress and I managed to get him home” Cullen smiles again.  
  
“No, you risked your life for him” Cassandra knocks her shoulder against his making him smile wide, she did enjoy seeing him smile and was glad to see that his days running to the Inquisitors rescue had no lasting affect on him. “I know you did it for me” The Seeker adds.  
  
“Of course I did” Cullen pulls his hand away from her when some of the ships crew begin moving around them trying to gather together a line of rope. She sees how disappointed he looks to no longer be touching her “I know what he means to you, I couldn’t have you without him and I couldn’t have you going after him. What choice did I have? We haven’t always seen eye to eye but I do care about him and wouldn’t want anything to happen to him. Its my job to keep you safe” The Commander asks fixing his eyes on her making her redden under his gaze.

“I’m glad you are here” Cassandra whispers giving him a reassuring smile, she didn’t know how she was going to do this at all but was glad he had volunteered to be with them. “I’m sorry you had to hear us arguing” The Seeker sighs when she thinks about the fight; he had been so angry and sure of his harsh words.. But she had been just as unkind.  
  
“I’m sorry too, I didn’t mean to pry and don’t think I was spying on you. Our rooms are just close and I heard him shouting at you” The Commander frowns banging his fist gently against the railing showing it had taken every part of him to not run in and defend his Seeker. “He shouldn’t raise his voice to you, I know he is grieving but he has no right to speak to you that way” Cullen shakes his head as he moves his eyes to the docks and the people that are bustling around going about their day.

“But he doesn’t” Cassandra sighs trying to block out the commotion taking place around them, she lifts her eyes watching as they begin adjusting rigging and steering the ship to where it needs to land. “He doesn’t ever speak to me like that, you know that Cullen. He is so kind and gentle and he would never raise his voice, that is what concerns me,” The Seeker adds. “He isn’t himself”  
  
“Grief does strange things to people” Cullen gives her a small smile, the Commander knew that the Seeker knew all about grief and he didn’t need to tell her that people acted not like themselves when dealing with these things.

“It was before Henry died” Lady Pentaghast frowns again when people begin shouting and trying to move past the pair again to attach a walkway to the ship so they can begin unloaded the passengers and their belongings. “You need to help me figure this out” Cassandra adds, she grabs hold of his arm pulling her back along the deck with her to her cabin.

“You will make him angry if he sees us” The Commander hisses to her glancing around him nervously, he had assumed that the Inquisitor was just in a bad mood after his argument with Cassandra. He had seen him throwing things around below deck and shouting at anyone that got near to him. Yes it was out of character, but he would be upset too if Lady Pentaghast had kicked him out of their room.

“I need to talk to you” Cassandra hisses back at him, she pulls open the cabin door giving him a little shove inside before quickly closing it pressing her back against the wood. “You need to help me. You need to show me that no matter what your feelings are for me, you don’t really believe this is Lord Trevelyan just acting out. You said yourself you care about him; I know you are becoming friends.. Surely you must see something isn’t right about this. This isn’t Ashton,” The Seeker adds as she leans her ear against the door trying to listen for the Inquisitor. “This has nothing to do with his brother, this has been going on for longer than that” Cassandra whispers as Cullen approaches her so he can hear her.  
  
“I saw his face when he received that message” Cullen whispers to her, he places his hand on the wooden door holding his weight against it too in case Lord Trevelyan decided to come and look for her. The Seeker glances at his hand and then to his face thinking how inappropriate this could look.  
  
“That wasn’t him..” The Seeker whispers pausing when she thinks she hears someone outside. “Something has changed in him, he isn’t the man we first met and he isn’t the man I fell in love with” Cassandra adds seeing Cullen drop his eyes from hers, he didn’t like hearing her mention the L word. “I know what you think you’ve seen and heard but your wrong.. Ashton is a good man. He is the gentlest man I know and I know he loves me. He is good and has a pure heart, he doesn’t let rage consume him like this and he doesn’t have a thirst to kill or hurt people. He told me he wanted to always be able to show people kindness and mercy because they don’t cost anything but will make the most difference” The Seeker continues.  
  
“Then why is he turning into something you say he’s not? Why did he kill those men? Why is he trying to make people afraid of him?” The Commander frowns looking at her again. “Cassandra if you had seen what he had done to those bandits.. He didn’t just kill them, he ripped them apart” Cullen whispers trying to shake the memories of what he’d seen from his head.  
  
“But he wouldn’t.” Cassandra feels herself sob quietly; her sweet Inquisitor had killed those men in cold blood because he wanted revenge. She had cleaned their blood from his body and told him they had deserved it.

“But he did.. It was horrible” Cullen sighs seeing how upset she looks. “There was no mercy or honour in their deaths Cassandra, he slaughtered them and would have continued to slaughter them if I hadn’t got there in time and stopped him” The Commander adds making Lady Pentaghast freeze at his words.

“Stopped him?” She asks suddenly feeling how dry her mouth is.  
  
“I had to do something..” Cullen whispers when Cassandra’s eyes widen. “I had to stop him, he was going to slaughter the nobles and the villagers. He was in a frenzy.. There was no reaching him. He had opened a rift and was killing everyone.. He tried to kill me, Seeker. I had to take him down and I knew I could have killed him if I had missed my mark..” Cullen swallows hard. “But I had to defend myself and run him through with my sword, it wasn’t until I thought he was going to die that he focused on me with recognition and I managed to get him back” The Commander adds seeing the tears beginning to form in the Seekers eyes. “I thought I’d killed him,” Cullen whispers trying to keep his own voice even.

“Does he know it was you?” Cassandra croaks trying to form her words, she brings her hand up to her face trying to fight the tears that are wanting to fall. “He’ll kill you if he knows what you did.. I cant..” The Seeker sobs leaning forward to burry her head into his shoulder. She loved the Inquisitor, but Cullen was her friend, her dearest friend and support.  
  
“He thinks it was a bandit; he wasn’t himself when he attacked me.. I’m sorry, I had to stop him from killing me” Cullen whispers bringing his hand up to her hair, his other arm wrapping around her waist. “I had to see you again,” He adds tucking her under his chin.  
  
“Did he hurt you?” Cassandra asks pulling her head from his shoulder, looking up at him through now wet eyes.

“Of course not..” The Commander gives her a reassuring smile. “They’d worn him down, they did most of the damage to him and he was tired. He’d already used the mark but went crazy at me. It happened so fast.. I didn’t mean to get him so hard and make him bleed like that..” Cullen sighs again when Lady Pentaghast wraps her arms around him best she can in his armour giving him a hug.  
  
“He said he wanted to use the mark and we are holding him back” The Seeker whispers when she feels his hands on her back again, she was crossing every single line she had drawn in her relationship with this man. She had crossed the line and was running head on towards the edge of the cliff, a thousand miles from the line. “Please don’t tell him it was you, not when he is like this..” Cassandra sniffs resting her head again against the soft fur of his mantle.  
  
“I wont if you wont, My Lady” Cullen laughs quietly glancing down at her resting against his shoulder. “So tell me when you have seen this behaviour before? He has mentioned before that Solas wanted him to be more experimental with the mark and test what he could do” The Commander places his hands on her back gently moving her back again to rest against the door so they are keeping it closed with their combined weight, he reluctantly lets go of her but doesn’t move out of her space. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you as soon as we arrived back..” Cullen adds reaching to take her hand in his again. “I was terrified he would do something to you” Cullen whispers looking down at his boots.  
  
“I’m okay.. He wouldn’t hurt me” The Seeker sighs, not entirely convinced of that herself. Something was causing her Inquisitor to be this way and she knew in her heart he wouldn’t hurt her. “I know the mark has been getting stronger and I know he has been struggling to control it.. He always laughed it off though and kept positive about it”  
  
“So what changed? When did you notice the change?” Cullen asks catching her eyes with his.  
  
“After his Birthday..” Lady Pentaghast nods, up until then he had always talked about his worries over losing control of the mark and what would happen if he caused a fade rift and was unable to stop it, but it had always been him worrying about it, not wanting it to happen. “When Solas touched his hand and it reacted like the way that it did.. After that all he could talk about was wanting to push the boundaries with the mark. I would see flashes of a ruthless man I didn’t know” Cassandra nods again. “He kept talking about all the people he’s killed,” She adds seeing Cullen trying to chew over the information she’s given him.  
  
“Why would Solas want him to be so reckless?” Cullen asks when he sees the Seeker shrug. “If its gaining power all the time he should be trying to help the Inquisitor control it,” He adds with a sigh. “This doesn’t make sense, are you saying it is the mark gaining power that is making him this way?”  
  
“No, I think that is a coincidence but I do think Solas has something to do with this. You saw have the mark reacted to his touch.. You saw the pain it caused Ashton, it changed him and it did something to him. He is angry and fuelled by rage that isn’t his. Henrys death didn’t cause this but it is terrible timing” Lady Pentaghast sighs.  
  
“If Solas did something to the Inquisitor, why isn’t he like it all the time? You said yourself he’s suddenly filled with rage. But he isn’t like that all the time or we would have noticed” Cullen adds bringing his hand up to scratch the back of his neck in thought. “I know you believe he is a good man and that he is kind and merciful, so what is it that makes him unleash the beast?” The Commander asks questioning her.  
  
“At first it was little flashes of anger.. He would snap about something silly or would say something he would never usually say. Then he would be fine for days and everything would be back to normal. It feels like it’s been getting progressively worse” Cassandra sniffs trying to forget how it felt to feel so angry with him.  
  
“Has he hurt you?” Cullen asks mirroring what she had only just asked him. “If he has laid a finger on you..” The Commander adds as Cassandra sees his brow dip and a flash of rage appear on his own face, concerned for her safety.  
  
“Cullen please, you have to understand what I’m saying to you. Lord Trevelyan loves me, when you heard us arguing I was angry at his words but it makes sense now.. I know it wasn’t him saying those things and I should never have tried to hurt him in return” The Seeker places her hand on his shoulder trying to reassure him that she is okay. “Even when we first joined the ship he was his usual self, of course troubled at what we are about to do but he was my Ashton..” Cassandra sighs, even when he had been so hurt he had been himself for a while.  
  
“So what happened?” Cullen asks raising his eyebrow slightly looking at her, still not convinced she was in a situation he didn’t need to save her from.  
  
“We were just..” Cassandra begins. Going to make the bed squeak. Going to spend three days in bed intertwined with the man she loves. Going to pretend everything outside didn’t exist expect the Inquisitor and the Seeker, she thinks to herself trying to keep the blush from her face. “He was searching for that stupid vial that he insists on bringing everywhere. He just snapped..” The Seeker adds.  
  
“It wasn’t Solas that touched his hand..” The Commander whispers as they both stare at each other at the same moment, everything finally slotting into place. “It’s the Vial.. The Blood Magic. Whatever Solas did with that Vial and the Inquisitors hand it’s caused all of this,” Cullen adds quickly.

“That has to be it” Cassandra replies excitedly “Whenever he is wearing it, it changes him. When he isn’t wearing it he is my sweet Inquisitor. It must be drawing power from the mark and affecting his thoughts and actions.. Maybe Solas wanted to give him a nudge towards trying to use it to gain power. Maybe he wanted to give him some rage because he knows Lord Trevelyan doesn’t have much of his own..We have to get it off of him before it does permanent damage to him” The Seeker adds suddenly feeling dread creep over her. “What if its too late?” She asks bring her hands to her face.  
  
“If you said he is still being himself for some of the time, it can’t be too late. But we do need to get it off of him and destroy it if we can” The Commander nods suddenly going quiet when he thinks he hears someone outside the door again and that they are being loud in their excitement. “Promise me you wont touch it. Whether Solas is using it for his own gain or just some curiosity about its true power over the Inquisitor, he did say if you touched it something terrible would happen” Cullen looks into her face and doesn’t see her willing to promise.

“If I have to remove it from him myself I’m going to need to touch it” The Seeker whispers when she sees him huff.

“Promise me” Cullen adds making her sigh again. “This thing is clearly dangerous and I don’t think its going to be as easy as just tearing it from his neck and crushing it beneath my boot” Cassandra nods slowly making him look relieved. “Don’t put yourself at risk and don’t provoke him. He is clearly not in his own mind right now and I know you. I know how..” Cullen gives her a small smile before closing his mouth.

“How what Commander? Please continue,” Cassandra gives him a cool look.  
  
“Frustrating” The Commander whispers making her laugh. “I mean it as a compliment, just don’t provoke his anger if you can help it” Cullen adds catching her eyes. “You need to go before he finds out you are with me,” The Commander adds beginning to look anxious.  
  
“Am I supposed to pretend everything is fine? Will he even remember our argument?” Cassandra asks leaning back against the door. “You said he didn’t remember what you did to him, maybe he wont remember the things he said to me” The Seeker sighs, she hoped he wouldn’t remember the unkind things she had said when they removed the vial from him.

“I don’t think he will, it wasn’t him that attacked me. Maybe he will be himself when we arrive in Ostwick.. I think you need to keep our Inquisitor himself for as long as you can until we figure it out” The Commander adds looking like he would rather she avoided him altogether and stayed away from him. “Keep him calm and out of any stressful situations, the Vial is obviously heightening his feelings and making everything more extreme and dangerous”  
  
“I don’t think there is anything as stressful as having to face your grieving family” Cassandra whispers lowering her eyes, immediately thinking about her brother.  
  
“Be safe” Cullen whispers, he places his finger under her chin tilting her face up to look at him. “I’m right here, I wont let anything happen to you” The Commander adds making Cassandra nod, she was sure the way his eyes were settling on her mouth he was wanting to kiss her.  
  
“Be safe” The Seeker replies biting her bottom lip feeling how close he has got to her. The Commander lets go of her finally deciding his intention might not be a good one, he reaches for the door as she moves out the way letting him open it for her. “Just don’t hurt him” Cassandra whispers to him again before heading back out onto the deck, glancing behind her at The Commander heading in the opposite direction.


	11. Bringing Him Home

“Why are you still here?” He snaps when he glances over his shoulder hearing her kick her horse on so she can catch up with him. Lady Pentaghast looks into his face when she draws level with him and sees that the anger still remains, her hopes that she would have her sweet Inquisitor back with her are not a reality. “You made it perfectly clear that you are done with me” He snorts, his hand gripping tighter on the leather reigns in his fist. Cassandra drops her eyes to his throat, seeing that the vial is pulsing angrily as if it is reacting to his rage.  
  
Lady Pentaghast sighs to herself; they needed to remove that thing from him as soon as they could. She rides in silence at his side for a moment not knowing what to do, she felt so helpless seeing him like this and unable to help him. Cassandra knew she shouldn’t let his words get to her because she knew he didn’t mean it, but it was difficult hearing such venom coming from him. The Seeker looks up again taking in the city that they pass, the busy streets of people oblivious to the fight going on in her head.

“We still have a job to do” The Seeker replies turning to look at him, she sees his jaw clench at her words.

“This isn’t just a job” The Inquisitor snaps, “This is my brother.. This my family” Lord Trevelyan adds turning his eyes to her, she avoids his gaze not wanting to see the distain for her on his face. “This is not official Inquisition business, so you should turn around and take yourself and your precious Commander out of my city” The Inquisitor snorts.

“We aren’t leaving, no matter what you say” Lady Pentaghast replies trying to take a deep breath and keep from letting her anger flare at him, he wasn’t himself, this wasn’t him. She had to keep convincing herself he was wrong.

“I’m sure your Lord Rutherford will be overjoyed to hear that he will finally have a chance with you” Lord Trevelyan gives a dry laugh making Cassandra shake her head. “We both know he is desperate to take you from me” The Inquisitor adds glancing at her, she lowers her eyes feeling the sting. “Although if I am to believe the rumours I am not the only man you have been sharing your bed with”

“Inquisitor, do not say these things” Cassandra hisses at him lowering her voice, he was trying to humiliate her and hurt her with his words.  
  
“The Commander can have you, I’m done with you” The Inquisitor spits “I’m sure Cullen will be more than happy to raise my child as his own” Lord Trevelyan laughs with no humour behind it at all. “If it is even my child,” He shouts drawing attention to them.  
  
“Enough!” Lady Pentaghast shouts at him, unable to keep her own anger in check having heard more than enough of his anger and jealousy directed at her and Cullen. She had allowed him to insult her but she wouldn’t allow him to doubt that he is his child’s father. Her words make the Inquisitor close his mouth, feeling he doesn’t need to add anything else to the discussion. “Enough Ashton” Cassandra sobs setting her eyes on him. He just shakes his head fixing his eyes on the Trevelyan estate that is coming into view ahead of them.

The Seeker leans her head back letting the sun warm her face, the dream trip to Ostwick they had planned to meet the rest of his family was now nothing but a nightmare. Cassandra wanted to flea, she wanted to be back in the safety of Skyhold where she always felt in control. However she knew she couldn’t leave or she would never have everything back to normal. She wanted her Inquisitor back and for him to not remember this part of his life  
  
“Is everything okay?” The Commander asks pulling his horse up to fall in line with theirs. The Inquisitor looks at him letting out another cold laugh as Cassandra lets her eyes meet Cullen’s. “Are you okay?” Cullen asks again giving her a questioning look.

“Look Cassandra” The Inquisitor begins his eyes narrowing when he looks between them and the clear affection he can see. “It is your Knight in Shining Armour coming to your aid” Lord Trevelyan spits. “We were just talking about you Commander” The Inquisitor suddenly pulls back on his reigns and tugs them hard to the side causing his horse to knock The Commander’s away from The Seeker’s, letting him move between them keeping them away from each other.  
  
“Be careful” Cullen huffs as his horse snorts and he can feel it begin to gather beneath him after being spooked by the Inquisitors sudden actions, he places his hand on its neck trying to sooth it as he glances back at Lord Trevelyan. “We know you are hurting, but this is not the way,” Cullen adds holding his reigns tighter.  
  
“We?!” The Inquisitor shouts the anger flaring again. “Are you a ‘We” now?” He rages, his eyes flashing with anger. “I’m sure you both have spent much of your time talking about me..” He huffs “Cassandra and I were jut discussing exactly how long it took for you to invite her to your bed, Commander. I’m sure she didn’t take much convincing to satisfy your needs” He adds ignoring the sigh from The Seeker, she looks up at Cullen who doesn’t look impressed at the Inquisitor’s words.

“Hold your tongue” Cullen replies flatly squaring himself up to the Inquisitor. “Do not speak about her like that or I will remove it from your mouth” The Commander adds frowning, he moves to place his hand on the grip of his weapon making the Inquisitor roar with laughter.  
  
“Ser Rutherford looks like he would like to fight for your honour Cassandra” The Inquisitor laughs slapping his hand against his own knee. “Remove your hand Cullen, you know I could rip you to shreds before you even had time to draw your sword” The Inquisitor roars with laughter seeing The Commander remove his hand, he gives Cassandra a look trying to reassure her that he was just forgetting himself and wouldn’t try and hurt the Inquisitor.  
  
“The Commander is your friend Inquisitor” Cassandra whispers watching the Inquisitor shake his head and kick his horse forward so he moves ahead of them slightly. “I am faithful to you,” The Seeker adds as he look back at them.  
  
“Do not lie to me,” Lord Trevelyan shouts, Cassandra sees the mark on his hand begin to flicker as his anger increases. “You are welcome to each other,” He snorts before kicking his horse again and riding away from them as fast as his horse will take him. The Seeker snorts with frustration as they watch him ride away from them and into the estate, he clearly had no intention of waiting for them and was going to be arriving before them.

“I told you not to provoke him..” Cullen sighs directing his horse to walk beside hers once more, he reaches forward to place his hand on the neck of her dark mare stroking the fur beneath his palm.

“I did nothing, he was already like that” The Seeker looks at her friend watching him paying attention to the animal for a moment before looking back to her. “I’m glad to hear he has such a high opinion of me” Cassandra adds giving him a small smile, he really was her knight in shining armour. “He is trying to hurt me with his words and accuse me of sleeping with you”  
  
“He doesn’t know what he says” The Commander replies reaching out to place his hand on her arm as they walk, trying to comfort her. “I’m sorry that this is happening to you.. You don’t deserve this” Cullen adds giving her arm a squeeze.  
  
“We just need to fix this” Cassandra gives him another smile trying to reassure him that she was okay. “But we need to catch up to him before he causes anymore trouble” The Seeker adds watching him divert his eyes from her and search ahead of them, he looks back over his shoulder at his soldiers that are bringing up the rear with their belongings and their precious cargo.

“Men, Move up!” The Commander shouts pointing ahead giving them some orders. “Be careful with Lord Trevelyan’s body and prepare to be met at the gates,” Cullen barks watching them move around the Commander and the Seeker moving ahead. Cassandra watches them come to a holt in front the gates, seeing that they have been closed shut and are being guarded by a selection of the Trevelyan family’s guards.  
  
“We are under orders not to let you in” One of the guard shouts when The Commander and The Seeker are finally in ear shot, they slow their horses bringing them to a stop when they see their way is being blocked. The Guards stand tall in front of the high stonewalls and gate. “This is private property,” Another one of the guard shouts raising his shield higher to show he isn’t going to be intimidated.  
  
“We are here with Lord Trevelyan” The Commander frowns, calling down to the men on the ground. “We have been invited by your Lord and Lady” Cullen continues. “We bring Henry Trevelyan’s body to his family for his funeral” The Commander snorts when the Guard begins telling his fellow guards to stand their ground.  
  
“We wont let you pass” The Guard shouts as they begin standing shoulder to shoulder. “You must leave Lord Trevelyan’s body with us and return to Thedas. You are not welcome here” The Head Guard nods confidently.  
  
“On whose orders?” Cullen barks, his brow furrowing. Cassandra watches as the military man in him begins to appear. She watches him drop down from his horse approaching the guards. “We hand over the body to no one but the Lord of this estate” The Commander adds standing as tall as his frame will allow.  
  
“Lord Ashton Trevelyan, the Inquisitor himself gave us the orders to turn all visitors away. He told us you were a threat to the Trevelyan family and to ensure no one gained entry to the grounds. That includes you..” The Guard says suddenly feeling a little less sure of his resolve. “Whoever you are” He grips his sword and shield tighter making Cassandra sigh.  
  
“I am Ser Rutherford.. I am the Commander of the Inquisition army and I suggest you get out of our way so we can see your Lord and Lady and sort this mess out. There has clearly been some mistake..” The Commander adds moving his own hand to his sword, Cassandra watches the guard take in his appearance. The Commander was intimidating but he always looked so official and powerful.  
  
“No one passes” The Guard mumbles when Cullen squares up to him, noticing that there is a large difference in their height and that the Inquisition outnumber them even with their small attaché they have brought with them to Ostwick.

“The Lady there is Lady Pentaghast..” The Commander begins turning to point at Cassandra. “She is engaged to be married to your Lord Trevelyan. I am sure that you can see there has been a terrible mistake made here and he will be most angry when he finds out you have stopped his bride from entering his home” Cullen adds giving the Seeker a small smile.  
  
“I’ve never seen him with such anger before..” The Guard whispers as The Commander nods reassuring him he was doing the right thing by following orders but that he should still let them in. “He was such a kind child and young man.. I have served the Trevelyan’s for years Ser. Never has he raised his voice to us or spoken to us with anything but respect until today.. Your war has changed him” The Guard mumbles setting his eyes on Cassandra who gives him a nod of a greeting. “Are you really Lady Pentaghast? Lord and Lady Trevelyan have told us all about you” The Guard looks between his fellow guards who all nod and smile.

“I am” The Seeker nods again watching them all smile wide. “We believe Lord Trevelyan is unwell from the journey and not feeling himself, that is why you must let us in so we can check on his wellbeing” Cassandra adds seeing them begin talking amongst themselves.  
  
“Let them in, you fools” Lady Pentaghast hears a shout coming from the other side of the gate, she looks to where the voice has come from and sees a figure approaching them through the bars. “Open the gates at once” Lord William Trevelyan, the Inquisitor’s father, shouts placing his hands on the bars.  
  
“At once my Lord” The Guard quickly springs into action pulling the gates open when he sees his employer has joined them.

“William” The Seeker sighs as she feels herself smile when she lays her eyes on his Father, happy to see that he has found out they are stuck outside the gates and relieved to see him. “My Lord Trevelyan” Cassandra repeats dropping down from her own horse as the Lord approaches her as soon as he spots her.  
  
“Oh Cassandra..” Lord Trevelyan Senior smiles as he reaches for her drawing her into a warm embrace. “I’m so glad you are here” He adds holding her tightly in his arms, Cassandra feels herself relax for a moment knowing that if anyone knew what to do it would be Ashton’s father. This man was the last connection she had to her own father, Robert Pentaghast, having known him briefly before he had died and she always felt comfort when he was around.  
  
“I wish it could have been for another reason” Lady Pentaghast replies letting him hold her for a moment longer, he draws away from her looking into her face. She sees the sadness in his brown eyes, eyes that remind her of her own Inquisitor’s. He had aged since she had last seen him at Skyhold, his hair a lighter shade of white and his beard much more salt than pepper it appeared. She had no doubt that the news of his sons demise had hit him hard, The Inquisitor always told her of the intense love her parents felt for his older brother. “I’m so sorry for your loss” The Seeker sighs dropping her eyes from his, he places his hands on her cheeks.  
  
“Thank you” Lord Trevelyan nods appreciating her words. “Thank you for bringing my sons home to me” William Trevelyan watches her nod before he diverts his eyes to the casket that they have carefully carried on the long journey to Ostwick. “Is that..” Cassandra just nods when she sees the pain on his face. “My Henry” William sighs pulling away from her, he walks to the cart carrying the casket. “My son” He sobs quietly placing his hand on the wood.  
  
“My Lord Trevelyan” The Commander coughs feeling guilty for interrupting the old mans grief. “My name is Cullen..” He adds when William turns to look at him.  
  
“I remember” Lord Trevelyan gives him a nod. “The Commander of my Son’s army. You are a good friend to our Ashton, I remember meeting you at Skyhold” William adds nodding again.

“I am..” The Commander ducks his head in a bow when Lord Trevelyan pats him on the shoulder. “Please let me extend my own regret at the loss of your son, My Lord. But please know that we did everything we could to bring him home to you and have taken care of him. Please allow my men to help assist yours in any way that we can, let them take him to where you want him to rest” Cullen adds watching William turn back to the casket.

“Take him to the crypt, if you would be so kind” William Trevelyan nods placing his hand on the dark wood again, he slides his palm against the polished surface admiring it.  
  
“Of course, My Lord” Cullen nods turning back to his men who nod in acknowledgement of their orders. “We will take him there at once” The Commander adds before looking back at Cassandra. “Will you be okay?” He asks her catching her eyes with his, The Seeker could see he wanted to do what he could to help Lord Trevelyan but wasn’t keen on leaving her side.  
  
“I will go with William” Cassandra nods ignoring Lord Trevelyan’s eyes on her when he looks between The Commander and The Seeker. “I will meet you inside” The Seeker adds watching Cullen slowly agree, he clicks his heels in a military fashion before going back to working with his men to take Henry’s body away. “Where is the Inquisitor?” Cassandra asks the older man as she watches the Commander walk away from her.  
  
“I’m afraid he has locked himself in his room” Lord Trevelyan begins moving to her side again. “I knew his grief would be unbearable.. I know how close he and Henry were, but I have never seen him like that before” William adds dropping his head, Ashton had obviously ripped through the house before locking himself away upstairs. “Please have their horses stabled” Lord Trevelyan says to his guards as he guides The Seeker through the gate.  
  
“I’m not returning him to you in a good state” Lady Pentaghast takes a hold of his arm that he offers to her, letting him guide her through the lush grounds of the Trevelyan estate. Cassandra wanted to stop and admire the perfectly kept garden but he continued them on their path towards the house, The Seeker raises her head to look at the child hood home of her love. A beautiful and grand home stands in the large grounds, a fortress not quite as large as Skyhold but just as stately. She notices that the grounds seem to go on forever and she can already see several out buildings in the distance, she wondered how large it actually was. She knew the Inquisitor’s family were an influential one and she knew he had come from a background of wealth and prosperity but she had no idea it would be like this.  
  
“How did he come to be so injured?” William Trevelyan asks shaking his head, he had obviously set his eyes on Ashton long enough to see that he was still covered in cuts and bruises. Luckily his father had no idea of the wounds that he was hiding beneath his leather coat.

“We didn’t want to tell you in the later My Lord” Lady Pentaghast swallows when she feels his eyes on her. “The Bandits that killed your son also did that to the Inquisitor” She adds “It is a long story and it is not right for me to be telling it to you” Cassandra whispers feeling Lord Trevelyan pat her hand to comfort her and tell her its fine. “I’m trying to help him, William” Cassandra sighs, she was trying. Not just trying to help him get over the loss of his brother but also trying to help him fight whatever darkness had taken him.  
  
“I don’t think I need to know the details” Lord Trevelyan sighs closing his eyes for a moment. “I could not bare to know that I might have lost both of my sons in the same way” William sighs again, Cassandra glances at him and then back at the grand house.  
  
“What of Daniel?” The Seeker asks feeling him pause beside her at her question, as soon as it had left her mouth she knew she shouldn’t have pried again on their family.

“What do you know of Daniel?” Lord Trevelyan asks looking into her face.  
  
“Not much” The Seeker whispers seeing a strange mix of emotion behind his eyes, a mixture of regret, sadness and anger stares back of her. “The Inquisitor wont speak of him, I know that it brings him pain and it clearly brings you pain too. I just want to know why so that I can help him, My Lord” Cassandra adds realising how ridiculous it sounded, if she wanted to help maybe she should have left it well alone.  
  
“Daniel is no longer my son Cassandra. He caused pain to my entire family with his actions; he almost cost Henry his life with the choices that he made. He brought shame to our name and showed no regret or remorse when he was caught. He ruined the lives of hundreds of people..” William pauses looking like it is difficult to be discussing him. “I have two sons, Lady Pentaghast. My Henry and My Ashton. That is all you need to know,” He adds with a nod. “Please don’t mention this to Louisa, it is too hard for her to think of him” William asks making Cassandra nod. Lady Louisa Trevelyan was the most beautiful woman Cassandra had ever seen and from the short time she had spent with the Inquisitors parents, she knew his mother doted on him.

“Cassandra!” Lady Pentaghast hears Lady Trevelyan’s voice come from the door way as the door to their home is thrown open. “Oh you are here at last,” Louisa shouts moving to engulf The Seeker in a hug that Cassandra gladly accepts. His family had been so welcoming to her and she loved them already as if they were her own. “Such a long journey and you still look beautiful” Lady Trevelyan adds placing her hands on the Seekers head, smoothing Cassandra’s hair with her hands.  
  
“Lady Trevelyan” The Seeker laughs feeling her pull her into another hug, she was starting to wonder if her Lord Inquisitor had not shown any affection to his family at all on his arrival because they certainly had much to spare. “I’m so sorry Louisa” Cassandra whispers feeling her nod. “I wanted to visit you in happy circumstances” The Seeker adds as she is finally let go.  
  
“You being here makes us happy” Louisa replies taking hold of both of her hands pulling her into the front hall, closing the door behind them. “None of what has happened is your fault,” She adds pulling her into a hug again. “You have given our son the strength to travel here to bury his best friend” Cassandra sighs and relaxes into her hug knowing she can’t escape them. When Lady Pentaghast looks in Lady Trevelyan’s face she sees that her eyes are rimmed with red and she is doing all she can to not break down in front of her.  
  
“I wish I could have met Henry, Ashton told me so much about him” Cassandra gives her a smile seeing her smile with a hint of sadness and pride in her eyes. The Trevelyan’s all, clearly adored him.  
  
“He was a wonderful person..” Louisa sniffs as William approaches her; he retrieves a hanky from his sleeve holding it out to her. “Thank you my love” Louisa Trevelyan gives her husband a warm smile not afraid to show affection towards him even after all these years. Cassandra watches the exchange, a lump forming in her throat. She hoped when she was old and grey her Inquisitor would still look at her with eyes full of love like she sees on Williams face. As long as she could bring him back to her and not have to leave him in Ostwick.  
  
“He was so brave” Louisa continues dabbing her eyes slightly. “He would have loved you Cassandra, he was certain from Ashton’s very first letter that you were the one for his little brother” Lady Trevelyan smiles at the memory, Cassandra knew his very first letter was soon after he had survived the explosion and she had tortured him, probably not love at first sight she mused.  
  
“Henry insisted that Ashton pursue you” Lord Trevelyan chuckles. “He knew our youngest couldn’t dawdle between woman for the rest of his life and needed to find the one he wanted to marry. We were all excited the moment he mentioned your name.. Henry said he needed a Seeker to keep him line and a beauty to capture his heart” William smiles again.  
  
“Henry was sure of you even before Ashton was” Louisa laughs when Lord Trevelyan wraps his arm around his wife’s shoulders drawing her to his side.

“You must be Ashton’s future wife” Cassandra looks over her shoulder to the figure that has now joined them at the bottom of the grand staircase. The Seeker takes in the woman that stands dressed in all her finery as if she is to be attending a grand ball in her finest gown; she notices the long blonde hair that is styled in ringlets hanging around her face and shoulders. “I thank you for bringing my Henry home to us” The woman gives her a sad smile, her heavily made-up eyes not hiding the grief.  
  
“This is Cassandra” Lord Trevelyan smiles motioning towards the Seeker, Cassandra watches as the woman moves from the bottom of the staircase to join them, her luxurious dress swishing against the stone floor. “Cassandra this is Henry’s wife..” William begins.  
  
“Annabelle” The Seeker finishes his sentence for him as her eyes settle on her. Cassandra takes in her appearance again when she gets closer to them; she looked like there was not a single hair out of place and like she was always dressed to impress everyone around her. There was no denying her beauty, she had smooth porcelain skin that looked like she had never spent a night in a tent or had a single cut or blemish.. or a knife held to her throat, Cassandra thought. Her eyes although sad, sparkled like diamonds and she held herself as if she was the most important person in the world. The Seeker diverts her eyes from a moment realising she has been staring at her, she could see why such a handsome man like Henry had picked such an enchanting woman like Annabelle.  
  
“So you have heard of me?” Annabelle asks setting her eyes on Cassandra, The Seeker suddenly feeling vulnerable under her scrutiny. She is sure she sees the Lady Annabelle take in her own appearance, her slightly dishevelled hair, her scars and always slightly sunburnt skin. The lack of ball gown and the leather boots on her feet, they were definitely polar opposites and Cassandra suddenly felt inferior.  
  
“Ashton mentioned you” Cassandra replies feeling how dry her mouth is, she glances at the Inquisitors parents glad to see there is no judgement on their face and that they don’t believe her to be anything but wonderful. Yes the Inquisitor had mentioned her; he had talked about what a great mother she was, a perfect wife to Henry, and a great beauty. Ugh.

“Isn’t she beautiful, Annabelle?” Lady Trevelyan says placing her hands on Cassandra ball-gown-less shoulders. “Don’t you think she is just perfect for our Ashton?” She smiles again giving The Seeker a squeeze, this only makes Annabelle look up and down her once more.  
  
“You are from Nevarra?” Annabelle asks tilting her head slightly. “I don’t think I’ve ever met a Seeker” Lady Annabelle adds narrowing her eyes slightly. “We have had many Templars in our home, but never one of you” She adds adding emphasis on the you.  
  
“I am” Cassandra mumbles, she bites her bottom lip with worry. This woman was intimidating, the Seeker had faced many foes, them often being armed and yet she felt most uncomfortable right now in front of this Lady. “But now I live in Thedas.. At Skyhold with the Inquisitor” The Seeker adds seeing her smile lightly.  
  
“Ah the Inquisitor” Annabelle laughs quietly. “My Ashton has done well for himself” She smiles fixing her eyes on Cassandra. The Seeker felt herself fume hearing the way she had called him hers. “In some regards..” She adds looking down her nose at her. “When he left us he was desperate for adventure, I guess he found what he was looking for. He couldn’t continue to mope around here trying to sooth his broken heart,” Cassandra frowns at her words, why did he have a broken heart? The Seeker was going to have some questions for him.  
  
“Have you seen him?” Lord Trevelyan asks looking at his daughter in law, Cassandra sees her bite her own lip and nod her head slowly.  
  
“I have.. He is sleeping now” Annabelle gives Cassandra a cool look. “He is in his room resting, I’m sure you have all had a long journey and need some rest” Annabelle nods. “We have prepared a room for you Lady Pentaghast” Lady Annabelle says motioning to the stairs behind her, Cassandra feels both relief that she was being given her own room so she didn’t have to see the Inquisitor until she had figured out what to do, but also sadness that she wasn’t going to be able to be with him.  
  
“Our friend Ser Rutherford has accompanied us here..” Lady Pentaghast begins turning back to William who just lifts his hand stopping her, she didn’t need to ask permission for him to stay in the main house and not with the soldiers.  
  
“If he is important to you and to Ashton, he is welcome in our home” William adds looking back to Annabelle. “Have a room prepared for the Commander too, Anna” Lord Trevelyan adds motioning for her to go. “Ser Rutherford is our guest so ensure he is comfortable and has everything he requires” He adds as Cassandra watches Annabelle huff slightly at being bossed around.

“I will see to it at once, My Lord” Annabelle replies before sweeping away to find someone to get the room ready for Cullen.

“Thank you” Cassandra smiles grateful at their understanding, she knew the Commander would happily have bunked with his men but The Seeker felt better knowing he was going to be close by at all times, just in case he needed her.  
  
“I’m sorry about Annabelle” Lord Trevelyan sighs when he is sure she is out of earshot. “She doesn’t mean to be that way,” He adds looking at his wife who nods in agreement.  
  
“She very much loved Henry and is finding it hard coming to terms with raising their children without him” Louisa looks like she may cry again mentioning her grandchildren. “Such beautiful boys” She adds with a sniff, Cassandra nods trying to appear like it didn’t bother her coming face to face with Annabelle. In truth she knew how Annabelle was feeling, she had tried to come to terms with raising their child without the Inquisitor. The Seeker looks around wondering where the children are, Lord Trevelyan had been so excited to see his Nephews and always talked about them most of all.  
  
“Where are the children?” Cassandra asks catching Lord and Lady Trevelyan look at each other and then back at her, there she was asking the difficult questions as always and making people uncomfortable.  
  
“They are with their teacher. Annabelle has been trying to keep them out from under her feet; she says that she can’t bear to look at them at the moment. They do look so much like Henry” Louisa gives her a warm smile trying to convince her that as grandparent’s they were okay with that decision, Cassandra sees that their eyes say otherwise. “Such lovely boys, you will meet them soon” She nods again.

“You must be tired Cassandra, why don’t you find your room and rest?” Lord Trevelyan asks giving her a look of concern, she was exhausted and it wasn’t just from the travelling. The Seeker couldn’t help but wonder what their reaction would be if they knew they were going to be having another grandchild soon. “We will have your belongings left outside your door and I will make sure that the Commander is shown to his room too,” William adds reassuring her. “Rest and we will see you for dinner” He smiles that she returns, they were both so kind to her.  
  
“Thank you, I will” Cassandra nods, she felt that getting a moment on her own might be what she needed. She had so much information to process and didn’t know how much longer she could carry it all around in her tired brain, a short nap and some time away from sad eyes would make her feel much more herself.  
  
“Thank you for being here for us” Lady Trevelyan reaches to place her hand on The Seekers cheek again giving her a smile, a true genuine, motherly smile that Cassandra hadn’t seen on anyone’s face for years. “Do not worry about your Inquisitor, he will be fine” Louisa adds as Cassandra steps away from them and moves towards the staircase, she had no idea where she was going and where her room was located but as soon as she places her hand on the polished stone banister she feels like she has found somewhere she will feel comfortable and at home, and its all because of them.


	12. Annabelle

Lady Pentaghast takes the first step onto the staircase leading up onto the first floor landing, placing her hand again on the highly polished banister. She had felt better after spending the afternoon resting in her room, she had taken the opportunity to try and regain some of her strength and sooth her sore body in a relaxing bath, hide away for a few hours and try and decide what her next plan of action was. The Seeker knew that Henry’s funeral would be in a couple of days so she didn’t have long until they would be needing to leave to return to Skyhold, she knew that meant she only had a couple of days to try and destroy the evil magic that hung at her lovers throat. She had decided that no matter what she refused to leave without him, she would rather watch him change in front of her than not be with him at all. Maybe she needed to show him she loved him and wouldn’t let whatever it was that consumed him, come between them. The Trevelyan’s had opened their home to her and The Commander and as the evening set in they had both been called for dinner, which they gladly accepted both of them feeling hungry after a long few days travelling. The Seeker had been disappointed to see that the Inquisitor failed to join them in the dining room, his parents making excuses for him and saying that he was too exhausted to be out of his room. Cassandra wondered if rage still held him and he was destroying everything his hands touched in his room. Lady Pentaghast wasn’t as disappointed to see that Lady Annabelle Trevelyan also hadn’t been present at dinner, this meant she was free to feel more relaxed and at ease with his parents who also seemed more relaxed without her there. The Seeker looks at the Commander when he climbs to stairs, following her to retire to their bedrooms for the night.   
  
“Is she really that bad?” He asks receiving a snort from the Seeker. “She has just lost her husband, Cassandra,” He adds placing a hand on her back guiding her up the staircase in front of him. Cassandra looks over her shoulder at him frowning. Yes she was really that bad.  
  
“I understand that. I know she must be hurting, but you should have seen the way she was looking at me,” Lady Pentaghast whispers, trying to stop anyone else hearing her talking about Annabelle. “She looked at me like I was a piece of dirt” Cassandra adds hearing him chuckle behind her, he takes two steps to catch up with her.  
  
“Maybe you just interpreted it wrong, if anyone should know you can’t judge first impressions its you, Seeker” Cullen replies making her snort once more.  


“She called him her Ashton” Cassandra hisses trying to stop herself from sounding like a jealous wife that has a beautiful young woman sniffing around her husband. “Her Ashton” She says again with a sigh. “He’s my Ashton” Cassandra huffs quietly annoyed that Cullen isn’t taking her concerns seriously. “I think there’s something going on with her, I don’t trust her with him” Lady Pentaghast says as the pair reach the top of the staircase, they both step onto the landing that leads to their rooms.  


“I’m glad you are home” Lady Pentaghast hears Lady Annabelle coo and a low chuckle that she recognises as the Inquisitor. Cassandra feels Commander Cullen take hold of her arm stopping her in her tracks when they come face to face with the scene playing out in the doorway further down the hallway. “I missed you” Annabelle adds when The Seeker sees her place her hands on the Inquisitor’s shoulders, moving her hands to his neck. Cassandra looks into her lovers face seeing that he hasn’t noticed they have company as he stands leaning against his door, Lady Pentaghast feels her anger flare when she watches her slide her hands over his bare chest. Slimy little snake, putting her hands on him, she fumes. No vial at his neck, he was himself.  


“I am too” Comes Lord Trevelyan’s reply as he places his hands over Annabelle’s. The Seeker feels Cullen move at her side as if he is about to interrupt them, if anything just to save Cassandra from seeing someone else touching him and not trusting this isn’t going to go further.  
  
“Leave him to it” Cassandra sobs quietly enough that they wont be heard. “I knew this was a mistake coming here” The Seeker whispers trying to turn on her heels and flea the scene she had to see before her. The Seeker lets another quiet sob escape her lips when she sees Lady Trevelyan step onto her tiptoes to press her mouth against Ashton’s, feeling a wave of sadness and jealousy wash over her when he doesn’t immediately fight off her advances.  
  
“You picked Henry, remember?” The Inquisitor adds placing his hands on her arms trying to remove her from his lips causing Cassandra to look back, surprised to hear his response. The Seeker sees Annabelle flinch at his response before looking back into his face again trying to draw him in with her eyes.  
  
“Henry?” Cullen whispers in her ear looking confused.  
  
“We were young” Annabelle sighs “You didn’t want to settle down really, you were only marrying me because you thought it would make me happy” Annabelle replies in her sweetest sing song voice as she moves her arms around The Inquisitor’s neck. “You aren’t husband material, Ashton. It was fun.. We had a lot of fun together, but we weren’t destined to settle down and have children. Henry was older than you.. He was mature and successful and he adored me. He gave me the children I wanted and he made me a Lady Trevelyan because he worshipped the ground I walked on, not because he was scared I would leave him. You knew what I wanted from you didn’t extend past our bedroom” Annabelle gives him a smile that he doesn’t return.  
  
“I loved you” Cassandra looks into his face again seeing the pain behind his words, he had lied when he’d said he hadn’t had a relationship like theirs before. The proof was stood just down the hall from the Seeker, a walking talking example of a broken hearted Inquisitor and a relationship that had been if nothing else, loving from his side. “You left me at the alter” He sighs as The Seeker watches him take hold of her hands that are wrapped around him and force them off of him, Cassandra sees the pain dissolve from his face as he appears annoyed at her touching him. Now she understood why the Inquisitor was so torn, he loved his home but had left heartbroken when his wife to be had picked his brother.  
  
“You can love me again.. We can raise these boys together, we can tell everyone that this child is yours Ashton” Annabelle whines trying to hold his hands, Cassandra smiles slightly when she sees him pull them away from her. There was the answer, Lady Trevelyan was clearly trying to find someone to share her bed and raise her children with. Who better than her former flame? Annabelle had probably taken one look at the Inquisitor and realised she should never have let him go.  
  
“Those boys mean the world to me, but they are Henry’s children” The Inquisitor snorts. “He was my brother Annabelle.. Not only did you break my heart, but also you could have torn this family in two. I forgave him but I could never forgive you.. You hurt me. You could have had anyone, but you picked the man you knew I cared about the most” Lord Trevelyan watches her expression change when she sees he isn’t going to fall into her bed.  
  
“I didn’t mean to” Annabelle replies with a sigh trying to convince him. “He came to me!” She shouts raising her voice as the Inquisitor holds up his hand, not caring what else she had to say about it in her defence. Cassandra wondered how he had ever managed to forgive his brother.  
  
“I would have given you children.. I would have given you anything you wanted” Lord Trevelyan chuckles slightly shaking his head. “You were right about one thing.. I was young and I was naive. I was blinded by my love for you and didn’t see that you were just using me. Just like you used Henry” Lord Trevelyan adds seeing her huff at his comments.  
  
“We could be a family” Lady Annabelle sighs in a final attempt to convince him.  
  
“I have my own family Anna..” Lord Trevelyan adds making her stop her actions of trying to place her hands on him. “I have a baby on the way of my own..” The Inquisitor can’t help but allow a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. “Cassandra carries my child, our child” He sighs when she finally stops back from him giving him some space. “I love her.. More than I could have ever loved you. I hope that one day you find love like I have, real love that is not based on convenience or status”  


“Does your mother know?” Annabelle asks her eyes widening at his revelation. “You aren’t even married..” She adds wrinkling her nose.  
  
“No she doesn’t” Lord Trevelyan huffs. “Not that it is any of your business” He adds as The Seeker watches Annabelle pout.  
  
“We should go Cass..” The Commander whispers taking hold of her arm again trying to guide her back down the stairs, Cassandra wriggles out of his grip not wanting to miss any of the conversation. No longer caring that they are spying on them and he might be angry at their intrusion, she finally knew the truth.  
  
“But they will be happy for us. Lady Pentaghast is everything to me and they love her as much as I do, they will be overjoyed that we are giving them another grandchild. I do intend to marry her and we will fill our home with beautiful children” Lord Trevelyan smiles again. “I’m sorry you have lost Henry.. I can not imagine how it must feel for you to be without him, but know that I grieve for him just as strongly as you do. Because of what you did I lost time with him I will never be able to have again” The Inquisitor adds as Lady Annabelle, clearly having heard enough turns on her heel stomping away from him. It is only when The Inquisitor looks up to watch her go, does he spot the Commander and the Seeker standing watching the whole thing further down the hall.  
  
“Lady Trevelyan” Cassandra hears the words flow from her mouth before she can even think about what a bad idea it is to be provoking Annabelle. Lady Annabelle screams an angry and shrill scream as pushes past The Seeker and The Commander making her way down the stairs as quickly as she can, her ball gown swishing angrily behind her. Cullen gives Cassandra a sharp jab in the ribs trying to hold back a laugh having seen how furious she looked seeing that her moment with the Inquisitor had been not so private.  
  
“I will leave you two alone..” The Commander whispers quietly to her as he places his hand on her back pushing her towards the direction the Inquisitor is still standing in the door way. “Good night Lady Pentaghast.. Lord Inquisitor,” Cullen adds with a bow of his head, quickly excusing himself into his room next door to the Inquisitor’s, closing the door behind him.  
  
“I was going to tell you” The Inquisitor begins as Cassandra approaches him. “I did not expect her to throw herself at me..” He adds lifting his hands in his defence. “Do not think that I have feelings for her..” Lord Trevelyan continues frowning slightly when he doesn’t see anger in The Seekers face. “She kissed me!” He backs up into his door until he can’t go any further when she reaches him.  
  
“Shut up” Lady Pentaghast huffs. “Just kiss me while you are still you and will remember it” Cassandra replies as he quickly steps to meet her in the middle, his arms sliding around her waist as he crushes his mouth against hers. The Seeker sighs against his lips when she feels him tangle his fingers in her hair, trying to pull her tighter against his body. She wraps her arms around his neck whimpering when he moves his hands down her body, his hands almost as demanding as his lips and tongue. She lets him pick her up as she wraps her legs around his waist.  
  
“I missed you Seeker,” The Inquisitor pants against her neck when he backs further into the door, holding her up with one arm while the other hand tries to find the handle. Cassandra runs her hands through his hair enjoying the feeling of his mouth on her throat.  
  
“Not as much as I missed you” The Seeker sighs feeling him turn to place her back against the door so he can concentrate on trying to get it open. Cassandra hears herself whimper again when he presses himself against her, his movements making her sigh.  
  
“I love you” Lord Trevelyan groans when he feels her wriggling against him, trying to tease him and distract him. “Only you..” He adds getting frustrated when he can’t find the metal beneath his hand. “A little help?” He asks making Cassandra giggle at his attempts to force his way back into his room. The Inquisitor gently lowers her to her feet before turning back to the wooden door.  
  
“Your useless” The Seeker huffs listening to him finally find the handle and begin rattling it. “What are you doing?” Cassandra asks moving to look past him as he fumbles with the lock; she glances at his face and sees the look of frustration and flush on his cheeks.   
  
“I can’t get back in” The Inquisitor laughs nervously glancing at her, he bites his bottom lip as he drops his eyes to her mouth again. “Did you hear me say I love you?” He asks shaking the door hard again making the metal clunk loudly.  
  
“I was distracted by you” Cassandra replies leaning closer to press her mouth to kiss his bare shoulder, she slides her hands across his shoulder blades enjoying the hard muscle she finds. “You better not be joking” The Seeker frowns when she watches him crouch down and look through the lock, he shakes the handle again as she huffs placing her hands on her hips. “Some rouge you are” Lady Pentaghast giggles making him give her a pretend look of being hurt at her words.  
  
“I’m not joking.. We are locked out” The Inquisitor replies standing up again. “You know I’m good with locks,” He adds reaching to bang the wooden door dramatically. “All my stuff is in there..” He sighs shaking the handle again.  
  
“Get out of the way” Cassandra sighs moving past him, she looks back at him as he crosses his arms watching her with a look of amusement on his face. “All you are doing is making it worse” She huffs reaching for the handle herself, she looks at his face again as he smirks at her when the handle turns instantly in her hand letting the door swing open. “I hate you..” Cassandra replies coolly making him laugh.  
  
“No you don’t” He laughs again leaning down to capture her mouth with his again, he pushes the door open further backing her into his bedroom shutting it behind them as Cassandra melts into his body again.


	13. Making Up For Lost Time

Lady Pentaghast smiles when he wraps his arms around her, nuzzling his mouth against her neck when he backs her against the door again closing it tightly behind them. Cassandra thinks for a moment to her discussion with Cullen and how close she had known the Commander had come to kissing her when they were in this same position, only now her lover was all that mattered and his lips on her throat were making her legs weak. The Seeker sighs again when he brings his mouth to her jaw making her forget all about for the moment, how much she hated him and all her fears of being without him. Right now he was himself, there was no anger in his actions and all she could think about was him. The Inquisitor cups her face in his hands again drawing her mouth to his again teasing a quiet moan from her lips. She was glad that she could feel every inch of his hard body beneath her palms because it was almost completely pitch black in his bedroom and she was sure she would lose him in the darkness if he stepped away from her. She needed to talk to him about the vial, she needed to talk to him about his brother and about Annabelle but his insistent hands tell her he needs her more than he needs more questions placed on him.  
  
“I love you” Cassandra sighs when he leans into her closer pressing himself against her again, she feels him move his knee to nudge her legs apart so he can stand between them desperate for closer contact with her. The Seeker bites her bottom lip when she watches him lean back slightly taking in the sight of her as if he hasn’t seen her for days. She feels his eyes settle on her in the darkness like she is his prey when she feels the intensity of his gaze.  
  
“I love you” He replies catching his eyes with hers again, she can just make our the deep brown pools of his eyes that stare back at her full of lust and love for her. He was with her, no doubt about it, her sweet Inquisitor was present and wanted her. The Seeker wonders for a moment where he has left the vial and how long she had before he would be back under its control, she had no idea if it was direct contact or something that would just happen and take him again.  
  
“You should have told me” The Seeker sighs again when he places his hands on the door either side of her head, he dips his mouth to hers again silencing her worries. She wraps her arms around him, placing her hands on his back as she feels him move beneath her hands. He slides his hands down to her behind, lifting her up so she can wrap herself around him again. Cassandra moves her arms around his neck as he turns them around again walking with her away from the door and towards the bed that she is sure she had spotted against the window.  
  
“I was going to tell you” Lord Trevelyan replies as he reaches the edge of the bed, he moves until his knees are pressed against the soft mattress before gently lowering her onto it. “What did you want me to say? Sorry Cassandra I have to tell you that I was almost married when I was Seventeen but my much older brother stole her from me and tore my heart out? That she left me stood waiting for her on our wedding day?” Cassandra feels him sigh when she places her hands on his chest. She feels the steady thump of his heart beneath her fingers and gives him a reassuring smile at his words, his heart was right there and it beat for her. His want to marry her was a much bigger deal than she could have ever imagined, she wondered if the idea of being left and humiliated at the alter again terrified him.  
  
“That is exactly what you should have said” Lady Pentaghast replies looking up into his face, she sees him nod slowly in what she can make out of him in the yellow moonlight that bathes his bedroom in a cool glow. “You should have told me about Annabelle, you should have prepared me for meeting her. Didn’t I have a right to know I was going to be meeting someone you were going to be marrying?” The Seeker sighs watching him lean over her again; he begins pressing soft kisses against her neck obviously not wanting to talk about it with her further. Cassandra has to fight back a sigh when he nips at her throat finding it difficult to form fords when he was touching her “If you loved her..”  
  
“It doesn’t matter if I loved her. Anna is Henry’s wife, she is nothing to me” Lord Trevelyan huffs throwing himself onto his back next to her on the bed, frustrated that they are having to talk about it at all. “It was a long time ago Cassandra. She made her choice and that was to be with Henry,” He adds as The Seeker leans over him placing her hand on his chest.  
  
“I know this must be painful for you” Cassandra whispers reaching up to run her fingers through his hair again, she strokes her finger at the soft skin at the back of his neck.  
  
“Its not, not anymore” The Inquisitor replies catching her hand with his, he brings her hand to his mouth kissing her palm. “I left here heartbroken with my pride in tatters, it was hard to return home and see them together. I told myself I would never let my heart get broken again so I put up these walls..” Lord Trevelyan whispers brushing his mouth against her knuckles, Cassandra drops her eyes from his, she had done the same. “Then I met you and everything changed.. You made me want no one but you,” He adds watching her smile at his words.  
  
“How did you forgive Henry?” Cassandra asks seeing him sigh again at the thought of his dear brother. “If you loved her and you knew that he was the reason she rejected you, how could you forgive him?” The Seeker smiles when he wraps his arm around her again pulling her closer to him.  
  
“Because he is my brother. He was.. My brother. It took a long time for me to be able to face him again, especially when Anna and Henry always looked so happy. He meant everything to me and he betrayed me, and my trust. His betrayal hurt more than hers did and yet I still forgave him and not her” The Inquisitor bites his bottom lip, Cassandra suddenly feeling bad for pressing him about the subject. “We didn’t talk for a long time but I returned home the day that Jack was born. As soon as I saw my brother hold his son for the first time, I saw him in a different light. It made me realise how foolish I had been to still be angry with him and that I had lost so much time with a person I loved. He was just a man, a man that was trying to look after his family and was doing the best he could. She made him happy and she gave him his first son. How could I resent him for finding happiness with her?” The Seeker feels herself nod slightly listening to him, it had obviously taken a lot to forgive Henry but he had done it and had proved he was the better man.

“I would never have met you if you had married Annabelle” Cassandra whispers leaning over him again pressing her lips to his jaw, she places her hand gently on his stomach trailing her hand up to his chest. “You would be living a very different life,” The Seeker adds brushing her mouth against his throat. “She is the complete opposite to me though.. Maybe you prefer your bed companions to be blonde,” Cassandra giggles when she hears her lover snort.

“I prefer my bed companion to be you” The Inquisitor chuckles making Cassandra giggle again when he rolls her over onto her back again with his body, she places her hand onto the back of his head when he kisses her. She didn’t want to think about him sharing his bed with anyone else, especially Annabelle. It made her uncomfortable to know anyone else but her had touched him “My life with you is better than I could ever have had with her,” Lord Trevelyan adds brushing his lips against hers.  
  
“I missed you.. I know I already told you that” The Seeker sighs when he settles between her legs again, his hands slowly trailing up her body so he can place his hands against her bare skin beneath her shirt.  
  
“I missed you, too” The Inquisitor replies kissing the corner of her mouth as she smiles. “I missed your lips” He adds tugging at her bottom lip between his own making her whimper, she craved the hold he had over her every time he had her pinned beneath him but he always left her a squirming wreck at his touch.  
  
”I missed your hands..” Cassandra hears herself moan quietly when he moves his hands higher to smooth her breasts beneath his palms. She shudders when he flicks his thumbs gently against her nipples making her arch her back, The Seeker watches him lift her shirt up and helps him remove it over her head.  
  
“What else did you miss?” Lord Trevelyan asks casting the material to the side and out of his way; he leans forward again pressing his lips to her now bare shoulder. “Tell me what else you missed, Seeker” The Inquisitor says again when he hears her just sigh in response, he nips gently at her throat trying to get her attention again.  
  
“I missed your mouth” The Seeker moans again when he trails his mouth slowly down her soft skin, he presses his lips against her chest as she runs her hands through his hair again. “Ashton” Cassandra sighs again arching her back when he presses his mouth to her breast, he wraps his lips around her nipple causing her to cry out at the sudden pleasure he gives her.  
  
“What else?” The Inquisitor croaks trying to keep his own voice steady when he looks up at the flushed face of his lover, he bites back a groan of his own when she fixes her eyes on him. He wraps his mouth around her breast again teasing her with his tongue. “I cant hear you Lady Pentaghast” Lord Trevelyan flicks his tongue against her again before blowing gently on the wet he has left there with his mouth.  
  
“Your fingers” Cassandra hears herself sob when he sucks her into his mouth again; he chuckles against her skin hearing her moan again. The Inquisitor runs his hands down her body. Cassandra huffs in frustration when he removes his mouth from her, she watches him sit up to kneel between her legs.  
  
“My fingers hmm?” Lord Trevelyan looks down at her hands as she begins moving them down his body, resting them on his stomach as she looks up at him. Cassandra moves her hands to his hips trying to pull him closer to her, Lord Trevelyan gives her a small smile as he moves his own hands to her waist.  
  
“Inquisitor” Cassandra moans again lifting her body to meet him when he slides his hand into the front of her trousers; he leans over her again pressing his mouth to her breast when she cries out at the touch of his talented fingers. “Ash” She moans again when he slips his fingers into her making her throw her head back. The Seeker arches her back, her fists gripping the sheets tightly as he pleasures her. She feels him lift his head to look at her, enjoying seeing that he has left her begging him for his touch.  
  
“Lets take these off” The Inquisitor whispers, tucking his fingers of his other hand into the waistband. He gives a tug sliding them down over her hips; Cassandra wriggles helping him remove them from her. She whimpers once more when the Inquisitor removes his hand from her, suddenly feeling the loss of his touch.

“Where are you going?” The Seeker asks looking down at him as he climbs out from between her legs and off of the bed, Cassandra bites her lip when she watches her lover reach for the button on his own breeches. He sets his eyes on her again as he undoes it, sliding them down his legs and onto the floor with her clothes. The Seeker lets her eyes trail over her lovers naked body, he was so majestic even in the moonlight.  
  
“I had to make us even” Lord Trevelyan replies watching her eyeing him, he eyes trailing down his chest and over his stomach. “Hearing you make such enticing noises does nothing for their tightness,” He adds making her giggle.

“I would have removed them for you My Lord” Cassandra laughs when she watches him approach the bed, he leans over her pressing a kiss to her mouth making her sigh. She lets out another loud laugh when he places his hands on her hips dragging her body to the edge of the bed, she watches him kneel down in front of her again. “Maker” Cassandra huffs sitting up when he places his hands on her legs lifting them to rest on his shoulders as he leans closer to press his mouth against the inside of her thigh.  
  
“I love when you are so vocal” The Inquisitor chuckles when he presses soft kisses against her skin, moving his mouth closer to his prize making her moan. The Seeker places her hands on his head again looking down at him, watching as he moves his hands to join his mouth. “I told you how much I wanted to be with you in my old room” He adds as he slides his fingers into her again making her sob at his action. “How does that feel my love?” Lord Trevelyan asks glancing up at her, he smirks when she moves to place her hands over his trying to direct his hand to move faster.  
  
“Inquisitor” The Seeker moans arching her back when he increases the speed of his fingers into her, she lays herself back onto the bed squirming beneath his hand. Cassandra sobs when he moves his mouth to join his fingers, she feels him move his lips and tongue against her teasing her. Lady Pentaghast takes hold of the sheets in her hands; gripping them so tight she feels her knuckles begin to turn white. She places the heels of her feet into his back holding him where he kneels between her legs.  
  
The Inquisitor removes his fingers from her, slowly running his hands up her legs to her hips. He pulls her closer to the edge of the bed trying to get better access to her and hold her still at the same time. The Seeker bucks her hips to meet his mouth when he presses his tongue into her making her cry out again as he pulls her closer to the edge.

“Don’t stop” Cassandra sobs as she arches her back feeling the heat building deep inside her, she feels him continue to pleasure her with his mouth as she places her hands over his on her hips linking her fingers through his. “Ashton!” The Seeker cries out gripping his hands tighter as he brings her to her peak with his tongue, she feels him move his hand to her, slipping his fingers into her as she feels her body shudder knowing he is trying to keep her pleasure rolling over her. The Seeker throws her head back trying to catch her breath when she feels him place a last kiss on the inside of her thigh, she feels him smile against her skin when he sees he has left her spent on the bed. “Ash” Cassandra sighs unsure if she is able to move.  
  
“Are you okay?” The Inquisitor laughs as he climbs to his feet; he leans over her placing his hand on her throat stroking his palm against her skin. Cassandra sighs at his gentle touch, her body still tingling and sensitive as he trails his hand over her. He gives her a smile when she just nods at him. “I love you” Lord Trevelyan adds dropping his head to kiss her.  
  
“I love you, My Sweet Inquisitor,” The Seeker smiles against his lips before pulling back from him, she sits up wriggling up the bed so he has space to join her. He climbs onto the bed when she wraps her arms around him pulling him down and onto her body. The Inquisitor places his arms onto the bed again holding his weight above her so not to crush her; he looks down into her face enjoying the flush that he sees on her face. Cassandra slides her hand up his back feeling him arch his back as he fingers trail down his spine.  
  
“What else did you miss?” The Inquisitor whispers, fighting back his own moan when she slips her hand between them and begins teasing him with her own touch. Cassandra gives him a smile when she sees him drop his head burying it into her neck as she strokes the part of him she had missed the most.

“I especially missed feeling how hard you are in my hand” Cassandra giggles pressing her mouth against his ear, she nips at his lobe when he groans at her words. “I missed knowing how desperately you ache to be inside me,” She whispers brushing her lips against his cheek. “Your body gives you away my Lord Inquisitor” Lady Pentaghast sighs when she hears another rumble from his chest when her hand moves around his length, she begins moving her hand as slowly as she can trying to draw her own delicious noises from her lovers mouth.  
  
“You are a minx,” The Inquisitor groans when Cassandra runs her other hand down his body, joining her other one to work on him. “Cass..” He moans dropping his head again screwing his eyes closed tightly, The Seeker watches as he lifts his hand to rest on the wooden headboard at the head of the bed causing him to kneel up slightly. The Seeker slides her legs loosely around his thighs, moving one hand to his bicep when she hears the headboard bang noisily against the stone when his hand comes into contact with it. Squeaking beds and wooden headboards were not her friends. She hoped the walls were thick and the room soundproof enough to save her awkward conversations over porridge in the morning.

“Would you like to be inside me Lord Trevelyan?” Cassandra coos at him enjoying the effect she was having on him and the whimpering noise he was making every time she increased the speed of her strokes. She was desperate to let him do what she knew he wanted and bury himself into her, she wanted to feel him too when he engulfed her with his whole being. “I can’t hear you Inquisitor” The Seeker adds copying his phrasing he had used on her.  
  
“You know I do” He huffs making Cassandra laugh again, she watches him close his eyes again dropping his head. She knew she was bringing him to the edge with her hand from the pants and throaty groans she was receiving from him.  
  
The Seeker had spent many nights with her lover, curled up against him in a tent with her hand wrapped around him like this. Wanting to bring him pleasure but knowing they would be heard if she let it go any further by their companions sleeping in a tent next to them. She would muffle his moans with her mouth and watch as he would shudder beneath her fingers.  
  
“Please stop” Cassandra hears him groan, his fists tightening on the wooden headboard with the effort to not buck his hips into her waiting hand. He arches his back his body betraying his words, when she drops her hand from him as he lets out a sigh. “You know that feels too good” The Inquisitor pants again trying to catch his breath, Cassandra bites her bottom lip giving him an innocent smile.  
  
“So you tell me” Cassandra giggles stroking her hands from his shoulders to his chest, she slides her hands up his arms to his shoulders as she leans forward to kiss him. She feels the muscles beneath his skin flex as he moves on hand from the headboard to wrap around her waist. Her Inquisitor was a lot more generous with his giving of pleasure than he was of receiving it and would often spend hours worshipping her body. “But not as good as this feels?” The Seeker asks him as she uses her feet to draw him closer to her.  
  
“Nothing is as good as this feels” The Inquisitor whispers when she helps him lift her hips so he can slide into her with one deep thrust making them both groan at the same time. Cassandra hears another loud bang of wood against stone when he thrusts into her, his hand tightening on the wood beneath his palm. She hoped his family were all deep sleepers and that most of all the Commander, who’s room was jut next door, wasn’t privy to the urgency her lover was now rocking into her making her toes curl at his waist.  
  
The Seeker places her hands on his chest, letting her fingers trail through the light sprinkling of hair. She knew they would both be sore by the morning, especially Lord Trevelyan with his already battered body but they had been without each other for nearly two weeks. Which was two weeks longer than they usually spent without a bed beneath them. Cassandra fixes her eyes on his as he continues his movements hearing the moan escape her lips every time he angles his hips towards her. She throws her head back again when he presses his mouth to her neck trying to muffle his own groans.  
  
“Inquisitor” Lady Pentaghast sobs when she feels him move both of his hands to her hips using them to increase her momentum and her movements in time with his. He was quickly drawing her to her climax again with his thrusts; she arches her back when he slips a hand between them rubbing his fingers against her most sensitive spot. He dips his head again to swirl his tongue against her nipple making her shake with pleasure as he leaves her sobbing when she feels the waves of ecstasy hit her.  
  
The Seeker watches him sit up, she catches his eyes again seeing him pant with effort to not find his release inside her. He places his hands on the headboard dropping his head as he groans when she wraps her legs tighter around him. Cassandra leans forward to kiss him, tugging at his bottom lip, letting the tip of her tongue tease his. He crushes his mouth against hers when she feels his back arch.  
  
“I’m close” Lord Trevelyan pants against her mouth, his thrusts slowing to deep movements that rock her body hard against his. She feels his body shudder against hers as he lets out a groan deep from his chest; he drops his head again as his hips buck into her until he is spent. “Maker..” The Inquisitor sighs moving his hands to rest flat on the stone above them when Cassandra wraps her arms and legs around him tighter, not wanting to lose him from her body.  
  
“I agree” The Seeker sighs a contended sigh sliding her hands down his back, she giggles again when he wraps his arms around her waist turning them over so she is straddling him and he has his back propped against the headboard. Cassandra rests her hands on his chest again feeling it rise and fall beneath her palms. “You are wonderful” Lady Pentaghast sighs leaning forward to kiss him.  
  
“Your judgement is clouded by lust” The Inquisitor replies with a smile, she always used that line on him when he would lay, basking in the glow of amazing sex with her, and tell her how beautiful she was or how incredible she was. The Seeker was always telling him that he should try and wipe the tell tale grin from his face because others were starting to recognise when the Inquisitor had got lucky, which was very often. Cassandra returns his smile as she leans down into his letting him wrap his arms around her body.  
  
“How could anyone ever pick someone else over you?” She asks placing her head against his shoulder; she nuzzles her mouth into his neck when he slides his hands down her back placing them on her backside. “Annabelle was a fool to ever pick Henry over you.. I think you are perfect husband material and I know you are going to be a wonderful father” She adds relaxing into his arms. "Who would want to give up such an incredible lover?" Cassandra giggles making him smile. Wonderful father, wonderful friend, wonderful husband, wonderful lover.. Wonderful everything,  
  
“Maybe in order to be a good husband you have to find the right wife” The Inquisitor smiles to himself placing his hand onto her head, he strokes his fingers through the dark ringlets that he finds at her neck. “We should get some sleep my Seeker” Lord Trevelyan smiles when he feels she is relaxing against his shoulder, they’d all had a long two weeks and it was catching up on them.  
  
“I told you now that you are twenty-five you would have a difficult time keeping up with me” The Seeker sits up flashing him a small smile making him laugh. He places his hand on her cheek again drawing his mouth to his. “I may need to work harder to keep you in shape” Cassandra giggles as she climbs off of him and crawls to the end of the bed. She takes hold of the fur that she feels for beneath her hands, pulling it over her as she moves back to curl up at his side.  
  
Lady Pentaghast sighs happily when he rolls over onto his side, she watches him rest his arm beneath her so she can lay her head on his bicep. He wraps his other arm around her drawing her against his chest, Cassandra snuggles closer to him tucking herself under his chin as he rubs his hand gently over her bare skin. The Seeker sighs again feeling him begin to relax next to her, not being fazed by her teasing of him and his age. She moves her hand from the place she has it on his chest to stroke her fingers against his temple, she lets her finger trail through the short hair at the side of his head. Cassandra tries to pick out his features in the dark, letting her fingertip trace the outline of his jaw and across his chin. She lets her finger press into the little dimple of his chin. The Seeker leans forward again pressing her forehead against his.  
  
“I didn’t love Annabelle” The Inquisitor whispers making her jump when she hears he is still awake but didn’t interrupt her inspection of his face in the dark. “I thought I did at the time, but it wasn’t real love.. It wasn’t this” Lord Trevelyan whispers again reaching to her face drawing her closer to him still, Cassandra sighs with a nod as she wraps her arm around his shoulders again letting him engulf her with his warmth and love.


	14. The Truth Hurts

Lady Cassandra Allegra Portia Calogera Filomena Pentaghast, Seeker and 78th in line to the Nevarran Throne sighs when she is slowly dragged out of her blissful slumber by a loud amount of shouting coming from outside her door, still in the last haze of sleep she can’t pinpoint what is being shouted but she knows they have disturbed her. The Seeker lies still for a moment listening to the screaming of a woman’s voice, a woman that is clearly not very happy about something. She hears a door slam outside. Cassandra slowly opens her eyes trying to locate herself; she glances around the large bedroom noticing that she definitely isn’t in her room at Skyhold. Her grand double balcony windows are replaced by one tall rectangular one, the drapes are a deep Trevelyan green velvet instead of their usual red and the bed she notices is a traditional Free Marches four poster bed, complete with thick drapes rather than her luxurious master in her and the Inquisitor’s quarters. She lets her eyes move over to the small window seeing the sun shining brightly through the panes, wondering how she has managed to sleep so late into the morning. The Seeker found herself forced from her bed every night recently when the Inquisitor would wake up screaming from a nightmare he could never shake himself from, she often found it impossible to sleep again and would lay awake worrying about Lord Treveylan.  
  
“Ashton..” Cassandra mumbles when she thinks of him and the suffering she saw him going through when she had to reassure him that they were both safe. The Seeker quickly turns her head to glance down at the bed hoping to see him still sleeping, she sees that the sheets have been pulled back and when she places her hand on the place he should be, she feels that it is still warm from his body. That meant that he had slept at her side all-night, undisturbed and right through until morning. Lady Pentaghast brings her fingers up to her lips when she suddenly remembers last night, they had made up for lost time and it had felt perfect to be with him again but maybe he had woken up this morning and placed the vial around his neck.  
  
“Hey..” Lord Trevelyan whispers, interrupting her worried thoughts that he had succumbed to the blood magic and was causing havoc somewhere in the house. The Seeker looks up from her spot in the bed to see that he has poked his head around the door, clearly trying to see if she is awake yet. “I didn’t want to wake you” The Inquisitor adds nudging the door open with his hip, stepping inside carefully trying not to drop the two mugs that he carries in his hands. Lady Pentaghast watches him close the door with the heel of his bare foot before beginning to walk towards her.  
  
“You didn’t” Cassandra sighs gathering the sheet around her as she sits up, leaning back against the head board eyeing him suspiciously. The Seeker couldn’t see anything around his neck but that didn’t mean he was still her Inquisitor. Of course he walked and talked like her Inquisitor, the way he was looking at her right now was one hundred percent her Inquisitor and he had definitely been her Inquisitor in bed but she couldn’t trust the way he made her feel around him. “I didn’t know where you were” Cassandra adds watching him saunter towards her noticing the way his light cotton trousers hang low at his hips showing off his tapered v-line.. That was all her enticing Inquisitor. He always looked wonderful first thing in the morning, but looks could be deceiving and he might be somewhere else again.  
  
“Good” Lord Trevelyan smiles at her making her heart feel like its about to burst. “I brought you some tea” He adds as he reaches her side of the bed, she watches him carefully set the mug down on the bedside table, the steam swirling in the cool morning air. “Did you sleep well?” Lord Trevelyan asks leaning over to press a kiss against the top of her head.  


“Yes..” Cassandra smiles, she hadn’t felt so refreshed for months. There was a lot to be said for having Lord Trevelyan to wake up to, he made even the briefest of sleep feel perfect if he was at her side. “No nightmares?” The Seeker asks him when she sees him nod and smile. They both knew it wouldn’t last and they couldn’t believe that this one night would be the norm from now on, but it was nice to know he had gotten the rest he so deserved without his demons fighting him. The Inquisitor was troubled by his responsibility and the guilt kept him awake at night. It was the shadows of those he had killed and the monsters under the bed wanting to destroy him as he slept, that would shake him awake at night and leave him trembling with fear.  
  
“No nightmares” Lord Treveylan smiles again leaning down to kiss her forehead. “I actually feel pretty good..” He adds settling his eyes on hers, Cassandra was glad to see that the bruising looked even better today and he did too look refreshed. “I think I have you to thank for both those things” The Inquisitor gives her a grin as he leans down to kiss her, he certainly kissed like her Inquisitor. “Did the noise wake you?” He asks as she watches him cupping her mug in his hands enjoying the warmth on his palms.  
  
“What was the screaming about?” Cassandra smiles when she watches him bite at his bottom lip trying to keep from smiling, everything about The Inquisitor was perfect and she knew every part of him and had him all saved to memory. But at this moment in time she was trying to memorize the slight curl of his mouth and the way that smile makes her feel, that way even when they were apart she would be able to remember him exactly as he was right then and it would bring her comfort.  
  
“Well..” Lord Trevelyan chuckles “The first screaming was Lady Annabelle ranting to anyone that would listen about how unacceptable it was for you to be missing from your bedroom this morning, Seeker. Apparently she had kindly asked one of the maids to go and wake you for breakfast” The Inquisitor smiles.  
  
“How kind of her,” Cassandra laughs quietly biting her own lip, she didn’t feel at all guilty for letting her perfectly made bed go to waste when she’d been with him. “So she was trying to spy on me? She was happy to throw herself at you but not so happy about us spending the night together? Why does she get to have you and I don’t?” She asks shaking her head.   
  
“You do get to have me” The Inquisitor gives her a smirk again. “Always my love” He adds making her smile, he was definitely being as sweet as her Inquisitor. “The second lot of screaming was directed at me when she was informing me of all the ways that it was inappropriate for me to be walking around the house so underdressed” He adds making The Seeker giggle, she loved him when he was so underdressed but he often had the same reaction at Skyhold when he decided to remove items of clothing.  
  
“She is just upset you turned her down.. I’m sure now she has seen you again, she realizes what she has been missing out on” The Seeker smiles as she reaches to him placing her hand on his stomach, she traces the hard lines of his abs to highlight her point. She was sure her Lord Trevelyan had always been a catch, but now he was the Inquisitor.. He had power, influence, charm, wit and he looked so amazing without clothes on. She tucks her fingers into his waistband pulling him closer. “Are you, you?” Cassandra asks him watching as he gives her a puzzled expression, he places his own mug down next to hers when she reaches for him again. Lord Trevelyan bends down as she takes his face in her hands drawing his face close to hers, she stares into his eyes trying to see anything else shining through that doesn’t belong to her sweet Inquisitor. “Are you really still with me?” The Seeker asks again seeing him screw his face up in confusion.  
  
“Are you feeling okay?” The Inquisitor asks letting her trail her eyes over his face, Cassandra sighs when he reaches to place his hand against her forehead trying to feel for a fever. “You don’t feel warm..” He muses before she bats his hand away.  
  
“I am fine” Lady Pentaghast snorts before she throws her arms around him pressing her mouth against his cheek, so relived that the rage hasn’t consumed him again and he is still with her this morning. This meant he had gone the whole night and the morning without the vial affecting him, she just had to keep it away from him until they could destroy it. “I just love you so much” Cassandra sighs feeling him smile when she rests her head against his.  
  
“That’s twice you have questioned me, about being me, since yesterday” Lord Trevelyan pulls away from her still trying to search for answers on her face, he brings his hand up to her rest chin against his fingers, letting this thumb smooth her bottom lip. “Are you going to tell me who else I might be?” The Inquisitor asks giving her another lopsided smile as he leans in to press his mouth against hers, The Seeker feels herself sigh into his kiss as he places his hands on her back guiding her to lay back onto the bed once more, he lowers his body on top of hers making Cassandra laugh when he begins placing kisses all over her face. She rests her hands on his forearms that he places into the mattress, stroking his skin enjoying the warmth of his body and the way that they fit together so perfectly.  
  
“I’m scared, Ash” The Seeker whispers causing him to stop his playful attack with his mouth, he looks down into her face seeing that she means it, something has scared his Seeker but he doesn’t know what.  


“Tell me what has frightened you” The Inquisitor frowns not liking seeing her looking so worried, especially when he was with her. Lady Pentaghast just shakes her head lightly diverting her eyes from his. “Tell me so I can chase it away” He leans to kiss her again for a moment as he moves to slide back into the bed next to her, scooping her up in his arms so he can pull her closer. Cassandra lets herself relax in his arms when he engulfs her with them trying to remove her worries, she lets him guide her head to his shoulder as he strokes his fingers at the back of her neck. “I will always protect you..” The Inquisitor whispers as he rests his mouth against the top of her head.  
  
“What if its you that I’m afraid of..” Cassandra replies into his neck, she feels him freeze at her words dropping his hand from her. “It’s like you’ve been a different person recently” The Seeker whispers feeling him pull back to look at, he searches her face with his eyes not understanding what she is saying.  
  
“You don’t need to be afraid of me.. Never afraid of me” The Inquisitor sighs and closes his eyes, he shakes his head before bringing his hand to her cheek again letting his thumb trace her scar. “If this is about me not telling you about Anna..” He adds making her snort.  
  
“It has nothing to do with her” The Seeker huffs, she would have been quite glad to not have to hear that woman’s name ever again from his mouth. “I think something has happened to you, I don’t think you are aware of it. Something has changed in you and it scares me, I’m terrified that I wont get you back again the next time it happens” Cassandra lets all her worries pour out of her as he just rubs his palm against her shoulder until she has finished.   
  
“But I’m fine..” The Inquisitor replies leaning forward to rest his head against hers. “Nothing has changed, I’m still me aren’t I? Why would you be scared of me?” He asks her at he catches the worry in her eyes.  
  
“You have been violent, cruel and aggressive. I have watched you be ruthless and seen you want to kill, Ashton” The Seeker adds looking into his face as he just shakes his head. “I heard things come from your lips that no one should ever have to hear from the person they love” Cassandra whispers making him shake his head for adamantly, he wasn’t guilty of the things she was saying.  
  
“No, I haven’t.. That’s not how I am” The Inquisitor stutters hearing her words, she feels him let go of her suddenly feeling himself vulnerable and hurt by her words. “Why are you saying that? Why are you being unkind?” He asks shuffling away from her.  
  
“Listen to me” Cassandra raises her voice slightly as she reaches to take hold of him again, trying him to stop bolting from their bed. Lord Trevelyan sits up looking worried that she would accuse him of such things, The Seeker mirrors her body with his and takes both of his hands in hers. “We think someone has tainted you with blood magic, Inquisitor. Do you remember how we even got here?” The Seeker watches as he pulls his hands back from hers when he sees that she is being deadly serious. He climbs off of the bed trying to get further away from her, Cassandra watches as he crosses his arms over his chest as if he is defending himself for what she is saying. “Think Ashton.. How did we get to Ostwick” The Seeker pushes seeing him huff uncomfortably, she wasn’t sure how he would take the news but she didn’t expect to see such panic.  
  
“I don’t remember” The Inquisitor finally whispers when he drops his eyes to the ground, Cassandra sees the effort on his face of trying to remember their journey and the fear behind his eyes when he looks up at her once more. “I don’t remember much after Jader,” Lord Trevelyan mumbles finding it difficult to speak. “I remember waking up in our cabin... then, nothing” He sighs.  
  
“What of our arrival here? Don’t you remember how happy you were to see your family?” Cassandra watches him crumble at the question as he brings his hand up to his mouth that he now chews at nervously. She hears him groan as he places both of his hands on his face trying to remember. “Ash you need to try and tell me what you remember” The Seeker whispers knowing she might be doing more harm than could, interrogating him.  
  
“I woke up in this room..” He croaks as he turns to sit on the edge of the bed again dropping his head into his hands. “Anna was banging on the door but I had no idea how I’d got here.. I didn’t see my parents.. I can’t remember anything” Lord Trevelyan sighs as Cassandra moves to wrap her arms around him from behind trying to comfort the man she sees before her realizing he has large amounts of time missing from his mind. “I thought I was just tired from the journey” He sniffs rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.  
  
“Ashton..” The Seeker whispers resting her head between his shoulder blades, she feels his body shake beneath her cheek as he is wracked with sadness. She felt guilty for mentioning it, but he needed to know what was happening to him “What do you remember about Henry’s death?” She asks knowing she was going to be stepping into dangerous territory, her Inquisitor might just be able to deal with the fact he had been angry and unkind but she didn’t think he would be able to cope with the thought of him being a merciless killer. “It’s alright..” Cassandra whispers again trying to sooth him, she strokes her hands against his back.  
  
“We were waiting for him to arrive..” The Inquisitor begins keeping his eyes directed to the floor. “Then one of Leliana’s men was at the gate..” He sighs trying to shake the memory of the blood from his mind. “I tried to comfort him but it was too late” Lord Trevelyan sniffs as he raises his head. Cassandra wraps her arms tighter around his body, resting her chin on his shoulder to let him know that she is there for him and that she loves him, no matter what. “Then nothing..” He sighs as he leans his head against hers.   


“Nothing between when you left Skyhold and the time we saw each other again?” The Seeker asks turning her head to press her lips against his cheek, she feels him sigh sadly again and shake his head. “Think my love” Cassandra nuzzles her mouth against his cheek wondering if he really did remember nothing or if his fragile mind was blocking the memories from him.  
  
“I remember seeing you..” He sighs his brown furrowing in the effort of trying to find the memories. “I remember feeling like my heart was beating so hard it was going to fall out of my chest when I saw you” The Inquisitor adds making her smile lightly, she had felt the same when she’d set eyes on him. “I remember the pain” He mumbles his hand reaching to his ribs. “And Cullen.. Cullen saved me” Lord Trevelyan nods as Cassandra kisses his cheek again. He didn’t remember the rage and he didn’t remember what he had done to those men. He thankfully for now, didn’t remember that Cullen had almost killed him when defending himself.  
  
The Seeker feels himself pull away from her hold again as he stands up, she watches him begin pacing at the side of the bed. He bites his lip showing how anxious he now is about the whole situation, Cassandra sees him wrap his arms around himself still not understanding what is going on and why he doesn’t remember. She sees him huff and begin rubbing his neck as he paces, he looks at her for answers that she doesn’t think she can give him.  
  
“What has happened to me? Why are there no memories in between? You said yourself I was gone for Eight days and yet I remember so little of what happened?” The Inquisitor blurts out the panic rising in his voice. “Maker what has happened to me” He groans burying his face in his hands again. “Tell me what happened” He sighs shaking his head. “Have I just been blacking out?” He asks seeing her just shake his head making him groan again.  
  
“You haven’t been blacking out, Inquisitor” The Seeker sighs when she sees the look on his face, he didn’t really want to know the truth but she was going to have to tell him. “You have been with us in body, but not in mind. It is like something takes ahold of you and you become someone else” Cassandra feels his eyes rest on hers when he hears this.  
  
“So the times that I cant remember are the times I was like another person?” He asks his face screwing up in confusion, The Seeker climbs off of the bed wrapping the sheet around her body as she approaches him. “What have I done that makes you so afraid of me?” He whispers when she places her hands on his arms again.  
  
“Yes, I think the memories aren’t yours to retrieve so you cant remember when you try to..” Cassandra sighs again when he wraps his arms around her pulling her against him, she didn’t know if she could be the comfort he needed but she would try. “You were so angry” The Seeker adds feeling him shake his head. “When I looked into your eyes all I saw was hatred” She says again resting her head against his chest.  
  
“Did I hurt you?” The Inquisitor asks suddenly taking hold of her arms in his hands so he can direct her back so he can look at her, he searches her eyes and face to make sure she is telling him the truth when she shakes her head. The Seeker feels him place his hands to cup her face keeping his eyes fixed into hers.  


“You didn’t hurt me” The Seeker whispers seeing the relief on his face. “But you were unkind..” She adds not really wanting to go into details about the poisonous words he had flung at her.  
  
“Then why are you scared of me?” He asks dropping his eyes to her mouth waiting for her answer, one she was sure he couldn’t handle. “Please tell me what I did” He whispers looking back at her again, warm brown loving eyes is all she sees. Not the monster.  
  
“You killed the Bandits, Ashton” Cassandra sighs, she sees him nod slowly. He knew he had killed them, he’d even shared that information with her. The Seeker places her hands over his on her face, letting her fingers link through his trying to keep him calm and reassured.  
  
“They attacked me.. I had to defend myself” The Inquisitor mumbles, beginning to shake his head when he sees Cassandra sigh and drop her eyes from his. “No I remember what happened, I had to defend myself when they jumped me.. They tried to cut off my arm. All I wanted to was to find Henry and bring him back to Skyhold, no one needed to get hurt” Lord Trevelyan stutters.  
  
“They didn’t attack you..” Lady Pentaghast finally answers, she lets him drop his hands from her face as she places her hands on his chest again. The Seeker feels his heart pounding hard beneath her palm at her words. “You found them and you slaughtered them, Inquisitor” Cassandra whispers when she feels him struggle beneath her hands as if he wants to bolt again. “You were attacking the villagers when you had finished killing the bandits.. Cullen found you” The Seeker adds, deciding to keep the small detail of how the Commander had ended up nearly killing the Inquisitor to herself. That might be one piece of information too much.  
  
“I..” The Inquisitor chokes bringing his hand up to his face, he pinches the bridge of his nose squeezing his eyes tightly closed trying to block out her words. “I didn’t do that.. You are wrong, I just defended myself..” He adds as Cassandra feels him suddenly move from under her hands and sit down on the floor, he folds his arms to rest on his knees burying his head into them.  
  
“You told me yourself that you used the mark” The Seeker replies quietly crouching down beside him, she wraps an arm around his shoulder as he suddenly just as quickly as he had dropped to the floor throws his arms around her knocking her to a sitting position at his side. Cassandra rubs his back, holding him tightly when he sobs clinging onto her as if his life depended on it.  
  
“I don’t remember anything” The Inquisitor sniffs burying his head into her shoulder, Cassandra rests her hand against the back of his head just letting him process everything she has told him and let his grief out “I’m not a murderer and I’m not a monster.. I’m not Daniel” Lord Trevelyan sniffs again when The Seeker lets go of him slightly so she can look at his face, seeing him like this broke her heart. But there it was all over his face, he was scared he would turn out like his blood mage of a brother.  
  
“We think it’s the vial” The Seeker watches as he diverts his eyes across the room to where he must have been keeping it safe. “We think Solas has done something to you and the mark to make you react to the magic in that bottle.. I should have figured it out sooner.. I’m trained to spot things like this and I failed to keep you safe. You were so busy trying to look for ways to protect me, I didn’t even consider the possibility that you were the one that needed protecting” Cassandra feels him sigh again as he reluctantly lets go of her, she pats the space on the floor next to her inviting him to sit closer to her.  
  
“This isn’t your fault” The Inquisitor sniffs again as he shuffles as close as he can to her, he rubs his eyes with the back of his hands again trying to remove any evidence that he has been crying.  
  
“We’ll figure this out Ash” Cassandra whispers leaning towards him, she rests her head on his shoulder as he rests his head against hers. “You say you wont let anything happen to me, well I’m not going to let anything happen to you” She adds linking her arm through his placing her hand on his bicep.  
  
“What if it happens again and I hurt you?” Lord Trevelyan asks turning his eyes to her, he nuzzles his mouth into her hair closing his eyes for a moment. “I cant risk hurting you” He sighs again when she raises her head to look at him, she didn’t think she had ever seen him look so vulnerable before and it worried her. Her Inquisitor was sweet but he was also brave, she saw him daily run head on into his foes like nothing in the world scared him. Only at night did he ever tell her how truly afraid he was, but she always kept it between them. She knew he was already overwhelmed with sadness for Henry and this wasn’t helping, but the Seeker knew that if he needed to cry at least she was here to hold him tight.  
  
“Just keep away from it until we can figure out how to destroy it.. I don’t know how it works, I don’t know if you need to be even wearing it for it to affect you or if it is something much stronger” Cassandra nods wondering how they were going to destroy something they knew nothing about. “All I know is I have you back right now and I want you to know I will do everything I can to figure this out. If you lose yourself again don’t think I’m going to abandon you, I’ll find a way to bring you back”  
  
“Please don’t let me forget again” Lord Trevelyan whispers, Cassandra looks into his face again and sees how scared he looks of something else happening at his hands and not being able to control it. “Don’t let it take me” He adds “Solas said if you touch it, something bad will happen” The Inquisitor bites his bottom lip making The Seeker reach her hand out to his cheek again trying to comfort him and remove the worried frown on his face.  
  
“He also told you it was to protect me.. Maybe he was lying” Lady Pentaghast shrugs slightly, not entirely convinced she wanted to test either of Solas’ warnings by touching it.  
  
“Its not a risk I’m willing to take” The Inquisitor replies catching her eyes with his, she gives him a small smile knowing he would always make the decision for her if it meant he could keep her safe. “I’m sorry this has happened” He adds leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers.  
  
“I’m sorry that this is the last thing you need to be happening when we are here for such a sad time for you” The Seeker gives him a light smile again letting him drag her into his arms, she knew she hadn’t told him the whole truth and the depth that his missing time had gone but he knew everything he needed to. The Vial was dangerous and he had to keep away from it. “We should go and see your parents, they need you.. We need to help them prepare for the funeral” Cassandra adds feeling him nod when she wraps her arms around his body.  
  
“Brave faces time” Lord Trevelyan replies giving her a squeeze against him, Cassandra smiles against his cheek when she presses another kiss there. She sometimes found it easy to forget that he was just a man, with everyday fears and worries when she had seen him acting as the Inquisitor. When Lord Trevelyan was playing the part of the Inquisitor he was brave and fearless, when he was commanding his armies and dealing with the worlds problems he would not falter. That’s why she knew she could forgive him a moment of weakness when he was just Ashton, a noble from Ostwick that had been at the wrong place at the wrong time.  
  
“You have a very convincing Brave Face, Lord Inquisitor” Lady Pentaghast pulls back from him slightly placing her hands on his face again, she holds her hand in front of his eyes slowly drawing it down as if she is putting his mask on for him. “There.. Now you don’t have to be scared anymore” Cassandra gives him a light smile that he returns with a nod of his head, she smiles against his lips when he kisses her.  
  
“Thank you for coming with me, I know there are still things I should be sharing with you about my family.. About Annabelle” Lord Trevelyan begins making Cassandra sigh, she didn’t need to know anymore about that woman. She was his past and didn’t need to be his present and future too. “.. About Jack and about Daniel” The Inquisitor trails off, Cassandra wondering how extensive this list is of things he isn’t sharing with her. “I just feel like they aren’t a burden you should be carrying and anything that brings me pain.. I don’t want it anywhere near me” Lord Trevelyan sighs.  
  
“Ignoring things that bring you pain won’t make them go away. That is how I ended up so unhappy, I bottled up my feelings and wouldn’t face the things that hurt me.. I found it easier to not talk at all than to talk about them” The Seeker shakes her head slightly thinking how long it had taken to un-bottle those feelings even when the Inquisitor had been so insistent she open up to him. “Our fight wont be forever.. We just need to stay strong until we have finished what we started. Then you will get some peace from your worried mind” Cassandra places both her hands on his cheeks pulling his head towards her, she presses a kiss against his forehead. “Soon your only worries will be that of every other man and father in Thedas.. No more darkness and no more nightmares”  
  
“I hope you are right..” The Inquisitor gives her not so sure smile, she sees the corner of his mouth tug at the hope that when their battles were all fought, when they had brought peace to everyone around them and stopped the dark forces that were trying to consume them, he would be given time to heal.  
  
“I’m always right, Inquisitor” Lady Pentaghast gives him another smile when he leans to kiss her again, his arms wrapping tightly around her. Cassandra rubs her thumbs against his cheeks until the last trails of his sadness have gone and she can only see that his eyes look red from his injuries. She slips her arms around his shoulders feeling glad that she has told him what they were up against.  
  
“Not always” Lord Trevelyan smirks making her snort at him.   


“Name me fifteen times I have been wrong” Cassandra giggles feeling him shift his hands to her back when he drops his head to kiss her with such force and urgency that she strongly considers skipping breakfast altogether and keeping him in bed with her all day. “It is entirely inappropriate for you to be doing that Inquisitor” The Seeker hisses at him trying to ignore his hands that are clutching her hips.  
  
“I could name sixteen without breaking a sweat,” The Inquisitor smiles, nipping the skin at her shoulder. “That is not what you were saying last night” He smiles when he hears her laugh, the sound making him feel much happier and lightening his mood immediately. He begins running his tongue along his bottom lip watching her eyes dart to watch. The Seeker narrows her eyes at him and shakes her head placing her hands on his bare chest  
  
“That was before I knew Annabelle was sneaking around spying on us” Lady Pentaghast sighs trying to fight the smile on her face when she lets him take her into his arms again and stretch her out on the floor at the side of the bed, she places her hand on his neck stroking his skin when he moves himself between her legs and looks down at her. “She is probably outside the door right now” Cassandra giggles when the Inquisitor just shrugs. “Waiting to tell everyone that the wicked harlot from Nevarra, is taking advantage of the handsome young Lord Trevelyan on his bedroom floor” The Seeker laughs making him smile.  
  
“I don’t think it counts as being taken advantage of, if I am such a willing participant” The Inquisitor chuckles “Very willing.. As long as I don’t have something really important and Inquisitory to do” He adds making her giggle again. Yes he took his job very seriously and yes most of the time she knew she couldn’t drag him away from his responsibilities, but sometimes she could make him a little late at least.  
  
“That’s not even a real word” Cassandra sighs when the Inquisitor slides his hands down her body and brushes his mouth against the corner of her lips. “Besides Lord Trevelyan this conversation will quickly turn into you telling me all of the ways that I distract you from your job or the ways that I try to entice you when we are in the War Room.. Blah Blah Blah” The Seeker smirks when he places a hand either side of her head.  
  
“You do try and entice me when we are in the War Room..” Lord Trevelyan huffs. “That is a real thing you do.. You tease me mercilessly and you touch me” Cassandra laughs again at his words, only sometimes did she tease him and she did try very hard not to touch him when they were on official business. “My job is hard enough as it is..” He huffs again making her laugh even harder.  
  
“Very hard” Cassandra coos at him as she wraps a leg around his hips pulling him closer to her. She feels him groan at her actions when she draws his mouth to hers so he can’t continue to gently berate her about her behaviour, she was sure she was being appropriate and official at all times but he clearly thought differently. “Maybe when we get home, you should show me just how hard it is in the War Room” The Seeker sighs against his open mouth when she hears him groan again.  
  
“Are you decent?” Comes Commander Cullen’s voice from the doorway after a brief knock.  
  
“No!” The Inquisitor and The Seeker shout in unison.  
  



	15. Jack

Lady Pentaghast feels his grip on her hand tighten as they step off of the staircase and down into the front hall of the Trevelyan estate, she wraps her arm around his placing her other hand on his bare forearm. Cassandra can immediately hear noise coming from a room on the ground floor and the sound of people talking, at the end of a hallway in front of them. They had washed and dressed quickly after receiving a severe telling off by the Commander for “rolling around on the floor and keeping people waiting” for them, and were now on their way to join the rest of the family for breakfast. She feels him rub his thumb against her hand as she glances at him, so happy that he is back with her and is currently the same Inquisitor she fell in love with all those months ago. No vial around his neck and considering the circumstances of their visit he seemed happy to be home. The Seeker hears some light laughter coming from the room and the sound of children chatting happily, this is what having a family sounded like and she couldn’t wait till Skyhold had the same sound every morning. After all, the Inquisitor himself had said they were going to fill Skyhold with their beautiful children. Cassandra smiles when he places his arm around her shoulder pulling her against his side, she knew they were going to need to find out how to remove the taint from her lover but for now she was glad he was himself and that he was happy to be home and about to see his parents and Nephews.  


“That smells amazing” The Seeker whispers leaning closer to her Lord Trevelyan as he leads her down the hallway, she lifts her nose into the air taking in the smells of the food that is being offered to them for breakfast, making him chuckle. She was eating for two, she was allowed to be hungry. Cassandra lets her eyes travel over the paintings that line the walls, mostly paintings of the current inhabitants of the home with a few historical pieces thrown in for good measure. She reads some of the names of his relatives as they walk, looking between each grand looking Templar and each important looking Chantry Brother or Sister. “You must be hungry..” She adds looking to him again as they stop outside the door that she has recognised as being the dining room. Cassandra smiles again when she hears a squeal of a child’s excitement coming from the other side of the door, The Inquisitor talked non-stop about the two boys that held a tight grasp of his heart and how much he couldn’t wait to see them.  
  
“Don’t ever mention you are hungry in this house..” The Inquisitor chuckles again. “My mother will feed you until you are fit to burst and then still ask you if you would like another slice of cake” He adds making Cassandra smile, she loved his mother and she was exactly how she imagined she would be; warm and kind. “It is a surprise we ever managed to fit in our armour after visiting home” Lord Trevelyan sighs as he pats his stomach.  
  
The Seeker loved the Trevelyan family most of all because although they were one of the most influential families in the Free Marches, with one of the largest estates and accumulated wealth of all the nobles, they tried to not live over extravagantly. Their home was beautiful and grand, filled to the rafters with beautiful things and family history but they didn’t have hundreds of servants dashing around waiting on them hand and foot. His mother had people to help keep the house in order and a cook to help her with the food but she still pitched in like any normal woman would in her own home. They had help keeping the gardens looking immaculate but she knew Lord Trevelyan liked to keep himself busy in his grounds. She loved them because they were the most un-noble noble family she had ever met, just the kind of nobles she liked.  
  
“Maybe she would teach me how to make a cake? A better one that my last one?” Cassandra laughs when she sees her lover shake his head with great enthusiasm, she was sure she could still recall the awful texture and taste of his birthday cake that she had so lovingly made for him.  
  
“No more cake, we made a deal” The Inquisitor smiles as he ducks his head to kiss her, they were going to have to be on their best behaviour at breakfast, a lot more guarded than they usually were with their friends at home, so she was happy to let him linger a little longer than he should. Cassandra places her hands on his chest feeling the soft cotton of his shirt under her fingers.  
  
“It wasn’t that bad” Lady Pentaghast replies when he finally removes his lips from hers, she sees him laugh at her words. It really had been that bad, worse than bad. Lord Trevelyan had complained about having eggshell in his teeth for at least an hour before she whisked him to bed to silence his complaints.  
  
“It was a great Birthday though” Lord Trevelyan smiles. “Come on, lets go.. I cant wait to see the boys” He gives her a cheeky smile nodding towards the door.  
  
“I’m really not very good with children..” The Seeker sighs seeing him smile again, he moves to place his hand on their growing child to show her it is a little late to be deciding that. “What if they don’t like me?”  
  
“They will love you.. They are both great, they can be a little boisterous but that’s what you get with us Trevelyan boys. Elliot is such a happy little boy but he is only not long ago a baby so you will find him very easy to please. Jack is just..” The Inquisitor smiles again. “Jack is just amazing, you’ll see” Cassandra sees him nod again and give her a grin.  
  
The Seeker suddenly felt nervous, even though she had already met his parents and spent a lot of time with them at Skyhold, she was now in their home not the one in Thedas. She wondered if Annabelle would be there, she knew the children were so it was likely their mother would be too. Part of her wished she had never found out about her lovers past with this woman, but she knew whether he had told her or not Lady Annabelle would still be sat there judging her every move. She had been angry at first that he had failed to mention that he had been set to marry her, but when she saw how much the whole event had hurt him she could understand why he didn’t want to talk about it. They had planned to come to Ostwick to tell his mother and father about their baby, but after receiving the news about Henry she couldn’t help but feel like it wouldn’t be the right moment to mention it when the family was going through such a difficult time. It was supposed to be happy news and she didn’t want them to feel like they were being forced to celebrate even though they were in mourning. It didn’t make her feel any easier about it knowing that Annabelle and Henry had just announced that they too were due their third child at around the same time.  
  
“Are you okay?” Lord Trevelyan asks feeling her falter when he steps away to open the door, he moves back to her moving his hands to her hips catching her eyes with his. “Are you feeling unwell?” He asks a look of concern on his face.  
  
“I’m fine” Cassandra gives him the best reassuring smile she can muster, she wasn’t very good at family and as much as she loved them already she felt like she was still under inspection because she was far from what most noble families wanted for their sons. The Seeker knew he wanted her there with him and they were always going to welcome her into their home but she wondered if their less than traditional relationship bothered them, had Annabelle and her big mouth made her way to his parents already? “I was just thinking about telling your parents..” Lady Pentaghast sighs. The Inquisitor had managed to convince her that all of the things that were worrying her about their news wasn’t needed, but what if they told them and they voiced the same worries? Was she too old to be carrying this child?  


“By the look on your face, I’m assuming you aren’t thinking good things” Lord Trevelyan frowns slightly when he sees her softly shake her head. “I thought we wanted to tell them face to face? By the time they visit for the wedding it will be too late and they will think we’ve kept it from them.. They are going to be so happy for us Cass” The Inquisitor sighs pulling her into a hug again, she smiles when he strokes her back and rocks her in his arms.  
  
“But what if they aren’t happy?” She asks resting her cheek against his chest. “What if they have concerns about the baby and it makes them concerned about you? What if they are angry that we aren’t married and think we are bringing shame to your family name?”  
  
“They love Jack and Elliot. They love being Grandparents and they will love our child more than you realise. We aren’t going to be able to keep them away from Thedas as soon as they know our child has arrived, you will get sick of seeing them with arms full of gifts and proud smiles” Cassandra smiles at his words, she hoped they would love their child as much as he described and as much as they already did. “If they are concerned it will only be because they love us and want to support us. If for any reason they aren’t happy we will return to Skyhold and carry on with our life. We want this baby and if they don’t want to be part of that, that’s their decision” Lord Trevelyan rubs her back again leaning down to press his mouth into her hair.  
  
“You can’t pick us over them, Ash” Cassandra shakes her head again, she knew what it was like to be without a family and she couldn’t let him make a choice like that. She wanted the Trevelyan’s to be part of their life and hoped it wouldn’t come down to a decision like that.  
  
“Lady Pentaghast..” Lord Trevelyan sighs wondering what he is going to do with her to stop her worrying so much. “The moment you told me I was going to be a father was the moment I knew that it wasn’t just you I would fight to be with for the rest of my life but our child too. We will be a family for as long as we have each other and nothing will ever come between us..” The Inquisitor gives her a smile again when she looks up at him. “There is no choice for me to make, I’m not picking anything.. You and our baby are my forever” He adds laughing when he sees her blush.   
  
“Just don’t upset them” Lady Pentaghast sighs knowing there is no talking to him when he was being so wonderful and sweet. She wished she could voice her feelings as well as he did rather than just huffing at him, but she was working on it. “If it isn’t the right moment to tell them..” She adds wrapping her arms around his waist.  
  
“I’ll be subtle” The Inquisitor smiles making her laugh out loud and burry her head into his neck. Her lover had no idea of the meaning of subtle. “I will..” He adds shaking his head at her making her giggle. “Lets get some breakfast, beautiful mother of my child” He whispers leaning down to kiss her cheek.  
  
Lady Pentaghast reluctantly lets go of him and lets him move to the door again, he places his hand on the handle before looking back to her checking she is still there and hasn’t escaped back to their bedroom.  
  
“I love you, you know that Cassandra” The Inquisitor nods trying to reassure her further that no matter what they would always be together. The Seeker nods at his words dropping her eyes to the floor to hide her blush. Lord Trevelyan turns the handle pushing the door open so that they can enter the dining room, Cassandra’s eyes widen when she takes in the room having never seen anything like it before. She was dreading the door being opened to yet another very large and very stuffy dining room that would be floor to ceiling with ancient paintings, dark drapes and very poor lighting. The Seeker had seen many dining rooms like this in the homes of nobility but this was different.  
  
“Its beautiful..” Cassandra whispers her eyes moving around the room, which is far from a room at all. The Seeker can see that it must be a newer addition to the original house and is likely to be the place that the family spend the majority of their time. The whole of the room is made of glass and is in fact more of a summer room than a traditional dining room, every large window that she gazed out of looked over the great expanse of the gardens and the lands of Ostwick surrounding them. Climbing plants and flowers have been grown all over the outside letting just the right amount of sunshine to stream through the glass but with enough cover that it might be hidden from outside and make the room look like an extension of the garden. Everywhere the Seeker looks there are potted flowers and plants, a large open fireplace on the main wall of the house and lots of very comfortable looking chairs and sofas. She could tell that this was a room that was well used by the whole family and she spots a selection of stray children’s toys on one of the fur rugs that cover the floor.  
  
“This is where we like to spend time together” The Inquisitor smiles when he watches her eyes take in the sight of the room, her eyes settle on the hundreds of small candles that are hung from strings or placed along every beam that joins the glass together. “We have a formal dining room but we haven’t eaten there since I was a child.. This is how we like to do things” Lord Trevelyan smiles again looking happy to be there with her.  
  
“It’s lovely” The Seeker says again her eyes finally settling on a large dining table that has lots of chairs crowded round it as if they often entertain a lot of people. She sees his family are already sat together waiting for them, Lord and Lady Trevelyan sat at the end with the two children either side of them. Lady Annabelle is sat in the next chair down and the Commander has been seated opposite her. She could imagine all of their friends and family crowded into this enchanting room, forgetting all of the stuffy traditions of dinner parties and masked balls and just enjoying everyone’s company like friends old and new.  
  
“Uncle Ashton!” Comes a child’s voice excitedly from one end of the table. The Seeker looks to see that Lord and Lady Trevelyan both turn to look their way when they hear the young child’s shout of excitement. The Seeker returns the smiles that they show when they see them. “Mother please may I..” The older of the two boys begins, Cassandra sees him wriggling in his chair desperate to be excused.  
  
“If you must” Lady Annabelle replies not even bothering to look up from the small cup that she has in front of her. “You are excused as well Elliot” She adds glancing at the smaller boy.  
  
Within seconds of the words even leaving her lips the two boys leap from their chairs and dash around the table as fast as their legs will carry them towards The Seeker and the Inquisitor. Cassandra watches as he moves further into the room when he sees them heading straight for him, he kneels down holding his arms open to them.  
  
“There are my favourite boys” The Inquisitor laughs as he has two small bodies thrown at him and into his waiting arms. “I don’t think I can possibly pick both of you up, you have grown so much” Lord Trevelyan sighs dramatically as he pretends to not be able to lift them making Cassandra smile. “Oh you weigh as much as a dragon” He laughs climbing to his feet as he holds them both tightly in a hug, The Seeker feels a lump forming in her throat when she sees them scramble to hold onto their uncle tighter and he does the same to them. She watches him close his eyes as he holds them against him wondering how he had ever managed to be away from home so long and with the Inquisition.  
  
“Put your Uncle down, boys..” Lady Annabelle sighs when she looks over her shoulder to see that they are both being smothered by his hugs, she glances at Cassandra before looking away again. The Seeker looks to his parents that look like they want to be running to hug their son too but are giving him some time first with the boys that have clearly been lost without him.  
  
“Jack.. You are a fully grown man now” The Inquisitor begins in his most serious voice when he lowers the boys to the floor again. Cassandra watches as he kneels down in front of them both, he places his hand on top of Jack’s head as if measuring how tall he is. “Maybe you should come and join the Inquisition, I could do with fine strong men like you” He adds as Jack nods enthusiastically. “Elliot.. You are almost getting to be as big as your big brother” The Inquisitor smiles when the younger boy almost falls over himself to get another hug from his uncle. The Seeker smiles when she watches the Inquisitor stand up with the boys hanging from his biceps showing them how strong he is to lift them together. Cassandra wondered how much they understood about their fathers death, Elliot was only a toddler but Jack the older of the two and might have been told more by his mother and Grandparents.

  
“I’m going to be The Commander of the Inquisitor’s army” Jack smiles proudly as he watches the Inquisitor pick Elliot up again, Lord Trevelyan cradles the small boy in his arms pulling faces at him making him giggle. The Seeker looks over to Cullen who’s ears have pricked up hearing this announcement, he just shrugs as he laughs.  
  
“Now my two favourite boys I want you to meet someone very, very special to me..” Lord Trevelyan begins as he looks to Jack and then back to Elliot who was less likely to understand but still wanted to be involved.   
  
“Will you hurry so the boys can eat breakfast?” Lady Annabelle huffs slightly making Cassandra bite her lip, she was certainly a little put out this morning and angry with Ashton. Cassandra looks to his parents who just smile at her, so happy to see their son with the boys but trying to hide the sadness in never getting to see Henry with his sons again.  
  
“Us grown ups are trying to have a conversation here, if you don’t mind” The Inquisitor laughs making Annabelle huff again before looking back to his Nephews. “This is Lady Pentaghast, she is very important to me and I brought her all the way here to meet you. We are hoping to be getting married and I want you both to be there so if you say its okay and you like her I’d like your permission, what do you think?” Lord Trevelyan looks to Jack who looks up at Cassandra. The Seeker feels herself freeze under the child’s gaze, what was she supposed to do? Was she supposed to talk to it?  
  
“She’s very pretty” Jack finally announces with a nod, he looks to her again and gives her a smile. The Seeker looks down at Jack wondering how strange it must be for him to have all of these people passing through his home all the time, sometimes not seeing them again and sometimes not seeing them for months. He was a child and not aware of the life that was set out before him but she wondered how much he knew about what he had lost and the funeral that was going to take place the next day.  
  
“Its nice to meet you Jack” Lady Pentaghast smiles again watching as Lord and Lady Trevelyan finally get to get up from their seats and are wrapping their arms around the Inquisitor, telling him they are so glad he is home. His mother begins placing kisses all over his poor bruised face as she gushes to him about how happy they are that Ashton and Cassandra are there. “How old are you?” Cassandra asks watching him process her question carefully, he gives her a little cheeky grin that she has seen on Lord Trevelyan’s face many times before.   
  
“I’m eight” Jack nods standing on his tip toes trying to make himself look taller. The Seeker figured Lord Trevelyan must have still been a young man when his first Nephew was born, he’d said himself that he had rushed home to be present for the birth of Jack. “Are you here for Fathers funeral?” He asks when Cassandra looks into his face, she wondered if he had heard his family talking about it rather than talking to him. He was a similar age to the age she was when she lost her parents.  
  
“We are, but I so wanted to meet you as well” The Seeker adds receiving a nod from him.  


“Jack will you sit down” Lady Annabelle snaps at him when she notices he is talking to Cassandra. “Next to me now” She hisses when she sees that he isn’t doing as he is told. Lady Pentaghast feels sorry for him when she sees his shoulders slump at his Mother’s words. He skulks back over to the table, climbing into his seat next to his mother without a word, waiting to be allowed to have his breakfast.  
  
“You need to eat before it all gets cold” Lady Trevelyan laughs when she holds her arms out trying to relieve the Inquisitor of the small child that is climbing all over him, giggling hysterically every time Lord Trevelyan boops his nose and wooping with excitement whenever he pulls faces at him.  
  
“Its okay, I’ve got him” The Inquisitor smiles leaning to place a kiss on his Mothers cheek. “Come sit next to me” Lord Trevelyan adds holding his free hand out to Cassandra, she gladly takes it and lets him lead her over to the table.  
  
“Nice of you to join us” The Commander smiles when he stands up moving down a chair so The Inquisitor and the Seeker can sit next to each other. “Your parents have been telling me all about this amazing room..” Cullen adds looking around it again, he leans back in his chair slightly able to get a better view of the fluffy white clouds passing over them in the bright blue sky.  
  
“It’s great when it rains” The Inquisitor nods as he sits down in his own chair opposite Jack, he lets Elliot stand on his knee who has no intention of letting go of him and is too busy clinging onto Lord Trevelyan’s neck. “In the winter when its cold outside and we have the fire going, it almost makes you forget everything that is going on, on the other side of the glass. We spend a lot of time in here don’t we boys?” The Seeker watches Elliot throw his arms around his Uncles neck again, glad he is home too.  
  
“Why can’t I sit with Uncle Ashton?” Jack whispers to no one in particular but still loud enough for his mother to hear who turns to glare at him. Cassandra watches his Grandfather place his hand on Jacks arm trying to sooth him and reassure him that he will get time with him again after breakfast.  
  
“Be quiet” Annabelle hisses diverting her eyes to her son again. The Seeker looks at Jack seeing that his bottom lip is beginning to tremble slightly, Jack looks up at the Inquisitor again trying to pretend he isn’t wanting to cry. Cassandra sees Lord and Lady Trevelyan glance at each other, clearly not happy with how the children were currently being treated. The Inquisitor had told her what a great mother Annabelle was so she couldn’t help wonder if her mourning for her husband had caused her to be upset with her sons. Jack looks at Cassandra, a familiar sadness in his even more familiar brown pools of eyes.  
  
“You know you are my bravest boy, Jack” The Inquisitor leans in whispering to him, “Sometimes big brothers have to let their little brothers be taken care of for a while. Now you are a big brother you have to make sure Elliot is okay.. I had a big brother that was just as brave as you” Lord Trevelyan adds making a small smile tug at Jack’s face.   
  
“Would anyone like some juice?” William asks receiving a nod and positive response from everyone at the table. Cassandra watches as he fetches drinks for everyone before the food is brought out and placed on the table; large piles of eggs, cheese, fruit, bread and pastries are served making The Seeker’s eyes bulge at the sight of it all.  
  
“This is much better than a breakfast at Skyhold” Cullen laughs when he sees the expression on the Seeker’s face. They certainly never went without at Skyhold but they didn’t always have the access to the fresh fruits and vegetables if the weather was bad and many of the people that lived with them had very varying tastes in food and drink which meant they never knew what would be on the menu, sometimes the food could be rather unusual to their tastes.  
  
The Seeker watches the family all tuck into the breakfast that is before them, laughing and talking amongst themselves. Involving her in all of their conversations about life at Skyhold, their upcoming wedding and what the future might hold. Cassandra smiles when she watches the Inquisitor with Elliot, sitting the small boy on his knee and helping him tuck into some fresh fruit and bread that mainly ends up on the floor and all over his face. She can’t help but feel her heart swell when she sees him wipe his little hands and face and that he is going to be a much better Father than she could ever have imagined. Lord and Lady Trevelyan fuss over their Grandsons, both of them making sure that they have a large portion of toast and jam each until their hands and faces are covered with sticky sugar residue. Lady Pentaghast feels herself looking at Annabelle often, part of her felt sorry for the woman that was sat in front of her. She was still turned out as if she was going to masked ball but she still had sadness in her eyes when she looked at her children and their Uncle.  
  
“His hair is so blonde now..” Cassandra hears the Inquisitor comment when she watches him take a lock of his Nephews hair between his fingers. “I always imagined he would be dark like Jack is..” Lord Trevelyan adds nodding towards his eldest who is devouring an apple in massive bites. The Seeker diverts her eyes to Jack having not really noticed how different the pair were until The Inquisitor had mentioned it.  
  
“He is more like me, than Henry” Annabelle replies trying to give him a smile, Cassandra sees her nod and worry her bottom lip. The Seeker could definitely see that Elliot was going to be the exact image of his mother when he got older; he already had her piercing light eyes and her bright blonde curly locks. Elliot and Jack looked nothing alike and were as different as night and day.  
  
“I guess so..” The Inquisitor replies, obviously not wanting to talk about it any further. Cassandra watches his parents begin to get up from the table to tidy everything away from breakfast.  
  
“Please let me get that” The Seeker says standing up from her chair and reaching for a plate that is quickly taken from her hand, Lady Trevelyan shakes her head motioning for her to sit down. “After you both have done all of this for us, the least I can do is help clear the table” Cassandra smiles seeing them both shake their heads again.  
  
“You are our guest, you won’t be clearing the table. Sit with Ashton for a while.. You both deserve some time together to relax” Lady Trevelyan smiles when she gives her a nod, she was going to do what she was told even though she felt she should be doing something to help when they had been so kind and generous to her. She hoped there would be someway that they could repay their kindness and decided that the best thing she could do to thank the family for welcoming her into it, was to support them in this difficult time.  
  
“I should take them to get cleaned up..” Annabelle sighs when she looks at the mess that her youngest son has got himself into. “I need to rest..”  
  
“Already?” Lord Trevelyan asks looking disappointed that his time with the boys is over so soon, when Lady Annabelle stands up and holds her hands out for him to pass Elliot to her. The Inquisitor picks his young blonde Nephew up off of his lap and hands him to his Mother.  
  
“I am with child Ashton.. I can’t be dashing around” Annabelle sighs again when Elliot begins wriggling trying to get out of her arms and back to Lord Trevelyan. The Inquisitor glances at Cassandra who just raises her eyebrows, she had been dashing around just fine and with a sword in her hands. Annabelle couldn’t be much later into her pregnancy than the Seeker but she seemed to want to use it to her advantage.  
  
“Why don’t you leave Jack down here with us? He won’t get into mischief and it will give you some quiet for a while” The Inquisitor says reaching out his hand to brush Elliot’s cheek. “We’ll stay in here and you’ll know where he is” Cassandra didn’t know how he had ever managed to leave this house and leave them when she could see they meant so much to him, it must have been difficult to see his brother and Annabelle raising a family in the same house he was living in however and difficult enough to drive him away. “Please Annabelle, I never get to see him.. I’m missing out on him growing up as it is” He adds trying to convince her.  
  
“Just don’t let him break anything” Annabelle sighs looking down at her son. “Behave or I will know” She warns him. “If I hear a peep out of you, you will stay in your room and I wont allow you to spend any more time with each other” She adds shaking her head at him. Cassandra watches him shrink down in his seat, she wondered why Annabelle was so hard on him when he seemed like such a well behaved child. Annabelle adjusts her hold on Elliot, who is still struggling, before moving towards the door and leaving to retire to her room.  
  
“Ashton, your Mother and I are meeting a Chantry Mother this morning. Will you stay here and make sure Annabelle and the boys are okay? You don’t need to be there for this” Lord Trevelyan pats his son on the shoulder when the Inquisitor just nods. “Be sure you fetch an extra special treat for our good boy Jack, later on. There are some cakes in the pantry” William smiles at his Grandson as if to say Jack was always a good boy.  
  
“Are you sure you don’t want us to come with you?” The Inquisitor asks as he stands to say goodbye to his parents.  


“You have both had a long trip, rest for a while and enjoy being home” William Trevelyan smiles again giving his son another pat on the shoulder and a squeeze, he looks to Cassandra with a nod of thanks for bringing him home to them.  
  
“Uncle Ashton..” Jack begins when he looks to see that all of the other grown ups have now left the room apart from his Uncle, the Seeker and the Commander that are still sat at the table opposite him. “May I have a cake now?” He asks giving them the sweetest smile he can manage.  
  
“You’ve only just had breakfast” Lord Trevelyan laughs as he gets up from his seat and moves around the table to where Jack sits. “Surely you are so full of breakfast you couldn’t possibly have room for cake?” He asks bending down in front of him, Cassandra laughs when the Inquisitor leans forward pressing his ear against his Nephew’s stomach “It sounds pretty full in there” He adds making the boy giggle.  
  
“Grandmother says that you will always have room for cake even when you are full” Jack nods confidently making the Inquisitor smile, that definitely sounded like something his mother would say.  
  
“Okay.. How about we go and have a look at these cakes and we will make the decision when we get there. If they look too good to resist we’ll just have to have one now, deal?” Lord Trevelyan asks holding his hand out for Jack to shake.  
  
“Deal” Jack giggles shaking his Uncles outstretched hand with great enthusiasm. The Seeker noticed that Jack hadn’t even mentioned his Uncle’s cuts and bruises and wondered if he was used to the young lord coming home looking like that.  
  
“We are going to get cake” The Inquisitor says turning to smile at Cassandra. “Don’t miss me too much and I will be right back” Lord Trevelyan adds leaning over the table to kiss Cassandra. Lady Pentaghast gives him a bashful smile when he mouths that he loves her, knowing that Cullen is sat right next to her watching the exchange. “Come on Jack.. Lets see what we can find” The Inquisitor turns to give his eldest Nephew a smile, she watches him place his hand in the dark mop of hair ruffling it beneath his palms.  
  
“Don’t be too long” The Seeker smiles seeing Jack throw his arms around his uncle’s waist again, she wondered how long it would be until the small boy would feel like he was too old to acting this way. She hoped it wouldn’t be for some time to come because she could see nothing but pride on Lord Trevelyan’s face every time he looked at him and wouldn’t like to think the relationship would change, she hoped the boys would be able to attend their wedding that they were planning to hold at Skyhold but she knew it was a long journey for them.  
  
“It’s strange how different siblings look in Lord Trevelyan’s family.. I know not all brothers look alike but Jack and Elliot certainly look completely different” The Commander says when he is sure the Inquisitor is out of ear shot, Cassandra watches him scoop the boy up in his arms again carrying him to the kitchen.  
  
“Ashton’s brother Daniel is the same. He looks nothing like the Inquisitor. He looks a lot like Lady Trevelyan from what I’ve seen of him in the pictures. I guess Henry and Ashton are more like their father” Lady Pentaghast nods when she watches the pair leave the room in search of cake. “Elliot obviously takes after Annabelle, He has her light complexion” The Seeker adds glancing at Cullen.  
  
“Henry and Ashton look like brothers, yes but they still look different I think” The Commander nods directing his eyes to Cassandra “It’s just strange to see the young boys together. Jack is so dark. Dark hair and those dark eyes” The Commander looks nervously around the room again still trying to take in how amazing it feels to be sat under so much glass and feeling like you are out in the elements. “Although I’ve seen pictures of Henry, I don’t think Jack looks anything like him either. His eyes are different.. When I look at him I don’t see either of his parents looking back at me” Cullen mumbles suddenly looking back to Cassandra when he sees that she is staring at him.  
  
“He looks like Ashton, doesn’t he?” Cassandra just nods when Cullen drops his eyes.  



	16. Henry's Son

Lady Pentaghast lifts her head when she hears the quiet click of the door that leads from the families’ glass summer room, out into the large expanse of beautiful garden. She sees that the Inquisitor has returned from his very important task of tucking the youngest Trevelyan Lord’s, his Nephews, into their beds and that he is going to be joining her again on the blanket that they have laid out on the grass. Cassandra watches him close the glass panel behind him quietly, after they’d decided it was much too nice of an evening to be sat inside and that they would take advantage of the peace and quiet of the Trevelyan estate. Skyhold was always so busy and someone or something always demanded their attention, It was difficult to take a moment and catch their breath sometimes so they were going to take advantage of Ostwick and its tranquillity.   
  
It had only been a matter of minutes of getting cozied up next to her lover that Lady Annabelle had come rushing out to him announcing that she couldn’t get the boys to settle without him tucking them in. He had reluctantly removed his arms from around her but dutifully followed Annabelle inside to see to Jack and Elliot. Cassandra couldn’t help but wonder if it was all a ruse to try and come between them, she hadn’t even apologised for interrupting their quiet time together but was very insistent that she needed his help. The Seeker rests her head onto the arm that she tucks behind her head again, looking up at the dark sky above her, watching the stars shine brightly against the black listening to the sound of his boots pressing into the ground as he walks. She couldn’t see him but even if she hadn’t heard the door and the sound of he steps, she felt him close by.  
  
“I didn’t mean for that to take so long” Lord Trevelyan chuckles making Cassandra smile, she was sure it had taken him so long because he had made it that way. The pair had spent the day with the children and his Mother and Father after Lady Annabelle had excused herself again, saying she felt unwell and unable to help with the final preparations for her husbands funeral the next day.  
  
“They obviously have a difficult time letting go of you, just like I do” Lady Pentaghast laughs turning her head to look at him when she watches him unbuckle his boots, removing them and placing them on the ground at the edge of the blanket. “Especially after what has happened to their Father” Cassandra adds wishing she hadn’t said it as soon as it leaves her lips, she of course had been thinking about the Commander’s words all day and she had to admit that she had seen it too. Jack did look like the Inquisitor, and it bothered her.  
  
“Elliot is young but Jack..” The Inquisitor sighs. “I worry about him” He adds as he kneels down on the woven blanket next to her, she laughs quietly when she watches him throw himself onto his front before leaning up on his forearms.  
  
“He has a family that loves him” The Seeker begins as she rolls over onto her side, she places her elbow on the blanket to rest her cheek against the palm of her hand so she can look at him. “He’ll get through this and the sadness and pain will soon be replaced by only happy memories of his childhood and his parents” Cassandra nods slightly remembering how she felt to be without her own Mother and Father. Her memories of them weren’t as clear as she had hoped but the ones she had were of good times, she had lost them both but Jack and Elliot still had family and each other.   
  
“No child should have to go through something like this.. It must be hard enough as an adult to lose a parent but he’s just a little boy. What will he do without Henry?” Lord Trevelyan sighs.  
  
“He has you” Lady Pentaghast whispers watching her lover nod sadly, she watches as he plucks a blade of grass from the ground playing with it between his fingers as she diverts his eyes from hers, she could see the battle taking place on his face because of his Nephews, no doubt blaming himself for Henry’s death and leaving the boys without a Father.  
  
“I was never good enough for him” The Inquisitor replies casting aside the grass that he has torn in half, he sighs again when Cassandra reaches her hand out to him stroking the soft skin behind his ear.   
  
“You need to tell me the truth” Cassandra mumbles when she sees him drop his head, she watches him place his hands over his face for a moment as if he has been dreading this conversation today. The Seeker had been watching them all day, she too dreading the moment that she felt she had to mention it to him. She wanted to believe that he wasn’t keeping things from her but she wasn’t sure how many revelations of things he had kept quiet, she could handle. Lady Pentaghast refused to let herself get cross with him, she would give him a chance to explain and forgive him like he had done with her so many times when she had done or said things that would hurt him. She had watched Lady Annabelle’s face every time she had seen Jack and the Inquisitor interacting, it was not the look of a woman seeing her son with their Uncle. It was regret and guilt. Cassandra had watched Jack’s mannerisms mirror the man he clung so tightly to and the way that Lord Trevelyan doted on him was more than he was letting on.  
  
“I don’t want to talk about it” Lord Trevelyan replies from behind his hands until Cassandra wraps her fingers around his wrists pulling them away from his face, forcing him to look at her.  
  
“I’m not giving you a choice. I know these are things that happened before we met, but if we are to have a future together you need to start telling me the truth no matter how much it hurts. Am I that cold that you are afraid to tell me things?” The Seeker replies frowning slightly when she feels him try and pull away from her, she moves to wrap her arms around his shoulders showing him that she wasn’t going anywhere. “Ashton I have bared my soul to you.. You know everything about me and the more time I spend here the more secrets are revealed to me” Cassandra sighs, she hadn’t shared everything with him but she had tried to tell him as much as she could. They were both too used to protecting their hearts it seemed.  
  
“You aren’t cold.. I never meant to keep things from you. I never thought I’d be back here again, I thought when I left here I had left all of this behind me. I didn’t think I would see Annabelle again and I didn’t even know if I’d see Jack and Elliot again” Lord Trevelyan directs his eyes to her when he feels her place her hand between his shoulder blades.   
  
“Did you really not want to come home and see them?” Cassandra asks feeling him shrug beneath her hand, she leans forward wrapping her arms around him tighter giving his shoulders a squeeze. He had obviously left home in great pain and after being forced to join the Inquisition never thought he’d see Ostwick again. She too had fled her home never wanting to return to the place that brought her so much pain.  
  
“I wanted to see the boys, of course I did. But part of me had to let go of them.. I had to detach myself from this place otherwise I would have run home at the first sign of trouble and never been able to stay with the Inquisition. As much as it hurts to be here, it was where I grew up” Lord Trevelyan replies leaning his head to rest against hers when she places her chin on his shoulder. “That was before I fell in love with you of course” He smiles making her smile at him in return.  
  
“We should never have made you chose between your family and the Inquisition” Cassandra sighs, she had dragged him into this mess in the first place and maybe if she had known two small boys were waiting for him at home she would have directed him away and found someone else. But then she wouldn’t be with him now and she couldn’t think of anything worse than that.  
  
“I made the choice. I knew that Jack would be fine.. He had his mother and he had Henry. It was made perfectly clear to me from the moment that he was born that I wasn’t what was best for him or his future and that I should keep my distance” Lord Trevelyan nods as if remembering the day well. “I wanted so desperately to see him and be here when he was born. I wanted to hold him and tell him that I would do everything I could to give him the best life” He adds lowering his eyes again.  
  
“Who decided that was the best for you? How did you know to come home and that he was due?” The Seeker asks frowning slightly, who would ever make a decision like that, that would change his life to drastically. She places her hands on the back of her neck stroking his skin trying to comfort him, her heart was breaking for him.  
  
“Henry.. On both accounts” The Inquisitor gives a weak smile as he shakes his head. “He wrote to me and told me Annabelle was due to give birth so I rushed home like any dutiful Uncle should. It took me almost a week to get here and I was sure I would be too late. When I arrived I was just in time to hear his first cries.. Just in time to see Henry holding his son for the first time. Henry told me to keep my distance from then and let them raise their child. I stayed for as long as I could but it hurt to see them.. I lived here on and off for years until you found me”  
  
“So what is the truth?” Lady Pentaghast feels him roll over onto his back under her arm, he places his hands on his stomach looking up at the stars above them. She feels him sigh beneath her hand when she places it on his chest before resting her head there too. Cassandra can feel the strong thump of his heart beneath her cheek when she closes her eyes for a moment; she already thought she knew what his reply would be. Jack had to be his son, his first-born and something that had been kept from him all of these years. She had battled with her feelings over this truth all day but now as much as she didn’t want it to be so, she knew it had to be. Their baby might not be his first child.  
  
“The truth is Jack **_is_** Henry’s son” The Inquisitor replies, biting his bottom lip. “I was with Annabelle when she fell pregnant, but what I didn’t know then was that Henry was too. He had already made his move on her by then and she had already planned to leave me to be with him. We were barely together then.. She wasn’t happy with me” He sighs again. The Seeker glances up into his face seeing him move an arm to rest behind his head while the other one wraps around her body. “I had no more of a claim over him than he did.. He might just be my Nephew and his real Father might be the man we are burying tomorrow”  
  
“So why did they try and keep you away?” The Seeker asks, yes they were young when Annabelle had been pregnant with Jack but if they had intentions to marry and had done it quickly they could have kept up the pretence.  
  
“Annabelle’s family didn’t believe I was a good choice for their daughter” The Inquisitor chuckles, Cassandra knew that feeling well. She was sure people would think she was a bad choice for Lord Trevelyan. “I was third in line to the estate.. I wasn’t being raised to be a Templar or Seeker, or anything great like my brothers were. I was just a young Lord that had gotten their daughter pregnant and didn’t really know where my life was headed. I couldn’t provide for my child or her as my wife. I was led to believe, until my wedding day that he was my child but there is no proof now. I didn’t raise him and I was told on that day that it wasn’t my baby she was carrying” The Inquisitor bends his head to brush his mouth into her hair.   
  
“But you wanted what was best for her and Jack. You said you were due to be married, so why didn’t she go through with it? Whether Henry was his Father or not you could have still married and raised him” Lady Pentaghast mumbles pressing her cheek into his chest again.  
  
“Henry offered her the whole world. I didn’t know that she had already decided she wanted him instead of me and that they had been hiding their relationship from me the whole time. I didn’t know that when she left me waiting for her at the wedding that she was going to marry him instead. Her parents thought she had just got cold feet and as far as her family knew he was being a great man by offering to take Annabelle from me and give her a better life” Lord Trevelyan sighs again, Cassandra could tell that the whole situation had left him broken. Not only had his brother and future bride betrayed him, but also a child that could be his, was taken from him and given to Henry to raise. Lord Trevelyan didn’t know if Jack was his son, but she could see the evidence in front of her eyes when she looked at the little Lord.  
  
“So they got their way? They got to avoid anger and judgement directed at them for their infidelity because he so graciously offered to take care of them both? Did you not try and tell them the truth?” Lady Pentaghast feels herself getting angry, she was hurt that he hadn’t told her but she was feeling angry on his behalf. Annabelle had been unfaithful and his Brother had betrayed him and yet the Inquisitor had taken the blame when his brilliant brother had been such a martyr and cleaned up his little brothers mistakes. Cassandra was starting to wonder how great of a man Henry really was after he had twisted the situation for his own gain, he had let his little brother be shamed but avoided any negative attention on himself from their parents.  
  
“I tried but everyone loved Henry. Everyone talked about what a good thing he had done and that was the end of it, they got married soon after excitedly awaited the birth of their first child. No one asked questions and everyone that knew Annabelle had been pregnant before they were married answered their own questions deciding that Jack was still Henry’s and that they were getting married so quickly before he was born because she had fallen pregnant with Henry’s child” The Seeker feels him shrug slightly, they had planned out his whole life for him and it didn’t include Jack.  
  
“What about your parents?” Cassandra whispers, she loved them already and couldn’t believe that they would have let Ashton get hurt and treated like that. They adored their youngest son and would have supported him no matter what.  
  
“They were told what everyone else was told. Annabelle and I weren’t suited and Henry and Annabelle were. They wanted a swift wedding so they could begin their life together.. As far as they are concerned Jack is Henry’s son. No one but her parents knew she was pregnant before the wedding, but they still believe it was with Henry. But he promised me he would tell me as soon as Jack was on his way, he promised me I could see him just once as my son. When I saw him holding him I knew I would never have that with him and that Henry would never acknowledge me as his Father” The Seeker glances up watching him close his eyes once more.  
  
“Do you believe Jack is your son?” The Seeker asks as he looks down at her again, he reaches to brush a strand of her hair away from her face. Cassandra lets him pull her into his arms feeling him wrap his arms tightly around her, she places her hands on his back tangling her legs with his.  
  
“I don’t know.. How can I know?” Lord Trevelyan sighs again. “I thought that the moment I saw him, I would feel a pull and that I would be able to walk up to my brother and take him..” The Inquisitor mumbles “The moment he opened his mouth and screamed the walls down, I knew he was part of me but I didn’t know if that was because he still shares my blood. I hoped I would know he was my son, and not Henry’s. But I had to realise he would be happy with Henry and Annabelle, he would be able to live here with a Mother and Father that loved him and that loved each other. I had nothing to offer him then.. But I could be his Uncle and I could still watch him grow up, love him unconditionally and be here when he needed me” Cassandra feels him huff slightly thinking about the fact that he hasn’t been there for Jack always when he needed him.  
  
“Why did you leave them?” Lady Pentaghast asks leaning back from him so she can see his face, placing her hands on his cheeks gazing into his beautiful deep brown eyes, eyes that she has seen on Jack. Cassandra sees his brown furrow realising her words may have sounded unkind and like she was accusing him of abandoning his family.  
  
“It wasn’t like that..” The Inquisitor huffs again. “I didn’t have a choice. Mine and Henry’s relationship had completely broken down and we were trying to live in under the same roof.. Me, with my ever-increasing rage and Henry with his ever-increasing happiness. I was so angry and I felt so betrayed. It was killing me seeing them together and I had to leave. Even after I managed to forgive Henry, Annabelle made it difficult for me to live here.. She drove me out of my home and away from my family. I had to detach myself from the situation and leave them to be a family. I knew he would be okay without me” Lord Trevelyan adds watching Cassandra nod, she strokes her hand against his cheek trying to show him she didn’t mean any harm by her comments. He had done what he thought was best for Jack, he had let him grow up with a mother and father and removed his bad feelings and hurt from the home.  
  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make it sound that way..” Lady Pentaghast gives him a light smile trying to get him to return it, he ducks his head to press his mouth to hers as she slides her arms around his neck.   


“I did what I thought I had to do. I wasn’t certain he was mine and I was making everyone’s lives difficult here” The Inquisitor sighs against her lips before she wraps her arms tight around him again resting her head against his. “I don’t want you to think I make a habit of walking out on people..” He adds making her smile to herself, he had no idea how wonderful he was and how perfect he had made her life; she had no worries that he would ever leave her right then. He had felt he couldn’t have given Jack the life that he thought he deserved so had left him with the people that he believed could.  
  
“I know you don’t,” Cassandra sighs, pressing her mouth to his ear. “I believe you and know you would never leave us. Your life is very different to how it was eight years ago and for all the reasons you believed then, that you couldn’t be a Father to Jack, are the reasons I know you now can be a Father to our child” The Seeker adds feeling him nod. “You did what you thought was best, Ashton and although the choices were forced upon you and they might not have been right for you, you knew they were good for him”  
  
“Please forgive me” The Inquisitor whispers as she kisses his ear again making him sigh. “Please believe how sorry I am. No one knows about Jack here, apart from Annabelle and I think it’s better if it stays that way”  
  
“Is there anything else you need to tell me? Anything else that will make me so furious with you so that we can get everything out in the open now and move on with our lives? I don’t want anymore hurt.. For either of us” Cassandra pulls back from him once more, she places her hands on his shoulders feeling him relax at her touch.  
  
“Nothing, I promise” Cassandra nods at his words, she knew he had never kept things from her to hurt her but more to protect himself but she had to believe there was nothing else that would come out later. They both wanted happily ever after and that would only be achieved if they were honest. “I can’t change the things that happened, but he is still Henry’s child. Henry and Annabelle raised him and he is theirs, Henry’s death doesn’t change that. I could never confuse him and bring him more pain right now, if he has questions when he is older that will be up to Annabelle to decide”  
  
“I think you are right” The Seeker sighs “He loves you and he knows that you love him, maybe the time isn’t right to ruin what you already have with him and replace it with a truth that might not be true and might hurt him. You said Henry was a good Father to Jack and Elliot so maybe for now let him have those happy memories of him” She didn’t think lying on top of lies was the best way but Jack had just lost the man that raised him, the man that had taught him how to walk and talk, played with him and adored him, the Father that had spent 8 years protecting and loving him. He deserved to remember the man that brought him up as his Father. “But..” Cassandra begins watching Lord Trevelyan give her a puzzled look.  
  
“But what?” Lord Trevelyan asks glancing down at Cassandra’s hands when she places them on his chest again. “Don’t tell me, but I have to forgive Annabelle, because I can’t. She made the choices for me that lead me to where I am now, so I wont forgive her for what she did to me” The Inquisitor blurts out making the Seeker shake her head.  
  
“I wouldn’t even suggest that, I know she hurt you. But she is his mother and you need to make sure she is okay. If you want him to stay where he is, with your parents and his mother taking care of him you need to support Annabelle. She obviously doesn’t need financially support but we have to offer everything we can.. Emotionally especially” Cassandra adds hearing her lover snort, he was hurt by her and clearly didn’t agree she needed help from anyone.  
  
“She hates me, Cassandra” Lord Trevelyan shakes his head at the thought, Cassandra feels herself roll her eyes slightly. That woman was desperate to get him into bed with her, she clearly didn’t hate him at all.  
  
“You are so blind” The Seeker sighs as he frowns again. “I’m not doubting she loved Henry but she knows she made the wrong decision for her and for Jack. It is written all over her face” Cassandra adds, seeing him laugh uncomfortably. “Didn’t you see her face when you told her you had a family of her own now? She was sure you would come running back to her and play happy families again” Lady Pentaghast stops before she gets angry about the thought of her touching him like she had.   
  
“She is grieving, I’m sure her actions were out of fear of being alone than any attraction to me” Lord Trevelyan chuckles to himself again, this time Cassandra snorts.   
  
“I can’t blame her for wanting you back” Cassandra gives him a smile when he chuckles again. “But, that wasn’t what I was going to say. I was going to say from this day going forward we make more of an effort to return to Ostwick” Cassandra fixes her eyes on his seeing a small smile tug at his mouth.  


“It’s a long journey” The Inquisitor smiles trying to pretend to have a list prepared for all of the reasons they couldn’t return to Ostwick. “You don’t like the Sea..” He adds smiling; Cassandra could see that he was fit to burst.  


“We need to see Jack and Elliot as often as we are able to” Lady Pentaghast smiles when she sees how overcome he suddenly looks at the idea of spending time with his Nephews. “He is going to need you now more than ever and so are your parents. From now on, no more avoiding home because you are worried about seeing Annabelle or are afraid of getting hurt. Skyhold is home, Ashton but this is our family. No excuses and I am perfectly aware that it is a long journey and there is an expanse of sea between us but he is your blood. He needs to see you and you need to see him.. Make sure they bring the boys to visit us and we will make sure we see them as often as we can. Soon the fight will be done and we will need to start getting some normality.. We will have our baby, our home and our family that are here” Cassandra smiles again seeing the happiness all over his face. “Show Jack that we love him and will always be there for him, when he needs you” She adds.  
  
“Thank you for not being angry with me” The Inquisitor replies dropping his eyes before looking back at her “They are going to love Skyhold and they are going to love spending time with you” Lord Trevelyan nods wrapping his arms around her again giving her a squeeze. “I love you and I can’t wait to have the chance to be a real Father to our babies” He smiles when she brushes her mouth against his, he kept referring to plural children and she hadn’t even had one yet. “I cant wait to fill Skyhold with our beautiful children and to have my Nephews visit us” He nods, she sees a slight flash of sadness in his eyes, nephew was going to have to do.  
  
“I love you, and that is why I was so angry with you..” Cassandra sighs seeing him look upset for another moment. “But I know it wasn’t to hurt me and I understand that this is a secret to protect Jack but we aren’t going to continue having these revelations anymore. We are a team, Inquisitor. It’s you and me versus the world and I need to know we are truthful to each other, no matter how much it hurts. No more secrets” She felt like she was having dejavu.. She hoped if there was anything he felt like keeping from her again, he might think twice. She was still no closer to knowing the truth about Jack, but she felt she knew as much as he did about the matter. As far as he was concerned, Jack was his Nephew.  
  
“No more secrets” Lord Trevelyan nods. “I am on your side and I wont keep anything from you, even if we know it might upset each other I promise I will be honest with you” He sighs when she presses her mouth to his again trailing her hands through his hair, Cassandra sighs against his lips when he tangles his legs with hers again trying to pull her closer to him.   
  
“I cannot wait to carry all the children you want to give me, and fill Skyhold with little Inquisitor’s” Cassandra giggles when she places her hands on his chest and pushes him onto his back, she throws her leg over him straddling his hips. “And Little Seekers” She adds leaning down to press a light kiss against the corner of his mouth. “How many shall we have?” She feels him smile when she brushes her lips against his cheek. Lady Pentaghast couldn’t wait to have a family with this man, but she was still unsure how she was being to be as a mother. She traces her fingers over his chest before sliding her hands down to his stomach.  
  
“At least ten.. Five Seekers and Five Inquisitors” Lord Trevelyan laughs making her smile at him, he was so perfect and yet so flawed, but she loved him for every part of him. “Although if any of them wanted to be Templars..” He begins before trailing off.  
  
“Ten is a very tall order, My Lord” The Seeker giggles when he places his hands on her waist sliding his hands up her back so he can pull her down till her chest is pressed against his. “We would never have time for anything else if we were just making children to fill your fortress” Cassandra gives him a smirk when she grabs hold of his hands that he is gripping onto her hips with and moves them to her back. His hands were a big weakness for her and the longer he kept them from roaming the longer she could concentrate.   
  
“Maybe I’d like to double my order” The Inquisitor returns her smirk and slips his hands down her back again “It would be a worthy cause and one I would be fully supportive of” Cassandra feels him move beneath her and sigh when she leans forwards and presses her mouth against his throat in a gentle kiss. She sits up batting his hands away making him laugh, he places them firmly on her shoulders. “Why wont you let me touch you?”  
  
“Because your hands get women like me into trouble” Cassandra giggles when he cups her face in his hands pulling her to him, he sits up letting her wrap her legs around his waist when he captures her mouth with his. The Seeker hears herself whimper when she wraps her arms around his body and he begins teasing her mouth with his tongue. Lady Pentaghast feels him move his hand to her hair, tangling his fingers in the raven black locks.  
  
“Your mouth gets men like me into trouble” The Inquisitor pants against her mouth when she finally lets him speak. Cassandra bites her bottom lip eyeing her slightly ruffled haired Inquisitor, she thought her fingers through his short cut did wonders for his look. “Not a complaint, by the way” Lord Trevelyan adds leaning forward to replace her teeth on her bottom lip with his own.  
  
“We should go to bed” The Seeker sighs when she feels him trail kisses from her mouth down to her throat, she leans her head back when his mouth meets a spot between her neck and shoulder. “As beautiful as this night is, we need to go inside” She adds slipping her fingers through his hair again when she feels him wrap his arm around her waist and move to place her on her back. “Ash..” Cassandra sighs almost forgetting her not that convincing argument at his actions.  
  
“Why are you so eager to get me behind a closed door?” Lord Trevelyan chuckles pausing his mouth against her neck, she moves both his hands to her hips tightening her legs around his waist.  
  
“Because I believe Lady Annabelle is spying on us” Cassandra giggles as she glances towards the house where she is sure she has seen Annabelle in the family dining room, hiding herself best she can behind some of the plants. Lady Pentaghast laughs further when she watches her lovers head snap round to try and see if he can spot Lady Annabelle too before he lets out a groan when he sees a flash of fleeing woman and her blonde hair. Breakfast was going to be awkward.  



	17. Brave Faces

“You look beautiful, Seeker”

Lady Pentaghast watches her reflection smile at his words as she continues to smooth her hands down the light cotton sleeves of her black blouse, she catches his eyes in the reflection seeing that he is perched on the edge of the bed waiting for her to finish getting ready but it watching her every move. The Seeker looks back at her reflection again, hoping that she did look okay and no one was going to notice that she had managed to avoid wearing a dress. Cassandra liked wearing black; she knew that it suited her and highlighted her colouring and figure, but she had settled into wearing lighter colours that complimented the Inquisitor’s wardrobe more often than not because she felt more comfortable and like she didn’t stick out, she liked them to look like they were together. He always told her she looked beautiful and she knew she could parade around in an old carpet and he would still proclaim she took his breath away. Today however she could see he was the one matching her dark attire with his own funeral outfit.

“You look very handsome, my Lord Inquisitor” Cassandra replies directing her eyes to his again seeing him nod before dropping his head, she watches him place his hands on his dark leather covered knees trying to find something to occupy them and stop him fidgeting.

Lady Pentaghast removes her eyes from her unhappy Inquisitor, feeling like she is watching him going through a whole range of emotions this morning every time she looks at him. She hears him climbing to his feet behind her, the quiet noise his booted feet make when they come into contact with the stone and the sound of the bed move as he stands. Cassandra can’t help but smile when she hears him approach her, when his hands move to her waist she glances over her shoulder at him again.

“You always look beautiful” She watches him nod and give her the best smile he can manage, she lets him wrap his arms around her waist as he places his chin against her shoulder. She directs her eyes back into the mirror and she lets them settle on his face, he looked tired and his nightmares in the early hours of the morning had been worse than ever. But, he was still her Inquisitor and since they had left the vial locked tightly in a small box inside their trunk he had remained that way.

“So you tell me” Cassandra smiles at him when he looks at her once more. “Would you mind helping me with this?” The Seeker motions to the locket that she has left on top of the dresser, the locket that contains her picture of her brother Anthony and her Nevarran Blue Star flower that the Inquisitor had retrieved from under a sleeping Dragon for her. It was one of the rarest flowers in Nevarra, a small blue star shaped one that no matter how long ago it had been picked it still remained alive and fresh. It gave off a brilliant blue glow that she had spent many a quiet moment admiring whenever she thought of him.

“Of course” Lord Trevelyan nods, he reaches his hand out to take the locket from the wooden surface where it lays waiting. Cassandra watches him undo the usually fiddly clasp with his nimble fingers before wrapping it around her neck; he glances at her reflection to see if she is happy with the position. Lady Pentaghast places her palm over the locket holding it in place giving him a smile and a nod. The Seeker feels him attach the two ends carefully together, being sure to not catch any of her hair at the back of her neck. When he is done he leans down to press a gentle kiss over the placement of the chain making her flush under his mouth.

“Ashton..” Lady Pentaghast begins when she feels him place his hands on her shoulders, stroking them beneath his fingers. “I think we should keep the vial with us today” The Seeker adds watching him catch her eyes in the mirror again, looking confused at her request. “Something feels wrong, and maybe we should keep it with us just in case” Cassandra whispers when he drops his eyes from hers and slides his hands down to her arms.

“But we agreed it’s dangerous” The Inquisitor replies looking up from the floor, to her. “I’m dangerous when its around me and the last thing I need today is to have any emotions I’m trying to control heightened” He adds with a slight shake of his head, she watches him bite at the cut on his lip. Cassandra could see he had enough sadness and probably couldn’t bare the thought of anymore but they had to have the vial with them today. She had a feeling that they were going to get help, she hoped that he was going to be there to help them destroy the vial and the blood magic it contained.

“I will carry it with me..” Lady Pentaghast begins seeing The Inquisitor try to interrupt and argue with her, she places her hands on his drawing them around her waist again as she just sighs knowing she will get her way. “Just listen, Inquisitor” Cassandra huffs seeing him smile at her pout. “I will carry it with me, I wont wear it but it will be with me if we need it. I wont touch it and I wont let you wear it either”

“Fine, okay” Lord Trevelyan sighs as he brushes his mouth against her cheek before letting go of her. “If you want it with us, then that is what we’ll do. Just be careful, okay?” He asks when she watches him step away from her and walk over to one of their large wooden trunks, she sees him kneel down in front of it like he had done before, unlocking it.

The Seeker turns, leaning back against the dresser so she can see what he is doing, quietly praying that even being this close to the vial wouldn’t change him. He unlocks the latch with a metal clunk before placing his hands on the lid, lifting it so he gain access. He searches through their clothes for a moment knowing that they have buried it right to the bottom to keep it out of harms way and to make sure that they don’t lose it. Cassandra sees him place his handle on the small wooden box that contains the vial, he takes hold of it bringing it up out of the trunk to look at it.

“Make sure you find the pouch too” Cassandra adds smoothing her hands down her black trousers, she couldn’t help but wonder what Lady Annabelle would be turning up to her husbands funeral in, she was sure they wouldn’t been arriving wearing the same outfit. “I’ll keep it in there and in my pocket, then neither of us will touch it”

“If anything happens, I want you to give it back to me” Lord Trevelyan glances up at her again waiting for her agree before he decides to hand it over to her. When he sees Cassandra just nod, she watches him open the wooden box carefully picking the little bottle up by the piece of leather that has been attached at its neck so that he could wear it. “I don’t like this thing..” He mumbles when he watches the blood thrash around inside the glass. He holds it away from his face when all of the contents slide up the sides as if it is trying to reach towards him.

“Don’t touch it,” Lady Pentaghast whispers, when she sees that he has brought the bottle back towards him again and is eyeing it. She watches his brow sink when he sets his eyes on the swirling red in front of them. “Inquisitor, put it down” Cassandra adds quickly moving towards him, she places her hand on his shoulder feeling him jump at her touch dragging him out of his gazing into the vile.

“What did you say?” Lord Trevelyan mumbles frowning again when he looks up at her, obviously completely having missed her warning to him. The Seeker takes the small leather pouch that Solas had given it to them in, she opens it up and places it in his other hand so that he can drop the pulsing red vial, complete with its leather string, into the pouch closing it tightly. 

“Give it to me” Cassandra watches him drop his eyes to the pouch in the palm of his hand before he closes his fist around it. “Lord Trevelyan you need to hand me the vial so we can go” The Seeker adds holding her hand out to him, she sees him glance between her and the vial as if he is suddenly very attached to it and he wants to keep it for himself. “Ashton..” Cassandra raises her voice slightly as he snaps out of it again forcing the leather pouch away from him and into her waiting hand.

“I’m okay” The Inquisitor replies shaking his head as if trying to remove an early morning fog from his brain. The Seeker places her hand on his shoulder again giving it a squeeze, thankful that he had done as she has asked and hasn’t let himself be taken by the vial again. Cassandra quickly tucks the pouch into her pocket so that it is out of his eyesight and safely out of his hands.

“Are you sure?” The Seeker settles her eyes on him again watching him pause for a moment as if he’s suddenly feeling drained. “Do you know where you are?” Cassandra asks bending down to look at him closer, she places her hand on top of his head tilting it back to look into his eyes making the Inquisitor laugh at her inspection of him.

“Cass, what are you doing?” Lord Trevelyan laughs again when she places her finger beneath his chin turning his head from side to side. “You don’t need to check me over and go all Seeker on me..” He huffs pushing her hands away from his face gently when she starts trying to get him to open his mouth to inspect his tongue. “I’m not some Blood Mage that you can poke at” The Inquisitor snaps making her remove her hands from him quickly, that was very unlike her Inquisitor.

“I’m sorry, I was just checking you are okay” Cassandra replies coolly fixing him with a stare. “I worry about you, as much as you worry about me” Lady Pentaghast adds standing up again and moving away from him. She worried more, she imagined. He had so many evil things trying to take control of him, all she had was a bad temper and a sharp tongue.

“No I’m sorry” Lord Trevelyan begins reaching out to her, he grabs hold of her hand pulling her back towards him and down into his waiting arms so he is carrying her. “I’m just tired” He adds sighing. “Today is not a good day” The Inquisitor mumbles when Cassandra looks at him again, he was still with her but he was changing again.

“I do understand” Lady Pentaghast replies wrapping her arm around his shoulder, letting him cradle her for a moment while he was being so apologetic. She traces her finger along his hairline before leaning in to kiss his cheek. “We should go, Inquisitor” Cassandra adds as he helps her to her feet. “Are you ready?” Lady Pentaghast asks him receiving another nod, she watches him climb to his feet brushing his hands on his own breeches hoping he hasn’t dirtied them on the floor. Cassandra watches him move to their bed again where he has left his black coat that he intends on wearing and her own black shawl.

“As ready as I’m ever going to be, my love..” The Inquisitor looks to her to give her a reassuring smile that he was okay; he could see that she looked worried about him and not just because of Henry’s funeral. He picks up his coat slipping it onto his arms and, up onto his shoulders and body, she watches him wrap it around himself tighter for comfort rather than to keep him warm. He reaches for her shawl, holding it out to her on the end of one finger giving her the smile she loves so much. “I’m alright Cass” The Inquisitor replies with a laugh when The Seeker forces herself into his arms, she throws her arms around him pressing her head against his chest.

“Just please be careful” Cassandra huffs wrapping her arms tighter around his torso letting him move his hands to her shoulders, he rubs his hands over her back trying to reassure her. “Just know that everything I’ve done is to try and fix this..” The Seeker whispers feeling his hands stop at her words.

“Why, what have you done?” Lord Trevelyan chuckles when she looks up at him, before removing her eyes from his gaze when he raises his eyebrows in question. Before Lady Pentaghast can reply and tell him exactly what she has done, for good or for bad, there is a light knock at the door. Cassandra giggles and starts batting him away when The Inquisitor wraps his arms around her pulling her flush against his body. He takes hold of her face in his hands leaning to press his lips to hers in an urgent kiss that makes her sigh. The Seeker slips her hand beneath his coat and onto his waist while the other one grips his shirt.

“I am.. Sorry to interrupt” Commander Cullen coughs looking uncomfortable. He begins letting his eyes focus on everything in the room but them, when he spots that he has walked in on a private moment. Lord Trevelyan slides his hands down her back, before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. He reluctantly lets go of her when he sees the Commander step into the room. The Seeker watches a small smile tug at the corner of her lover’s mouth; he had every intention of making the Commander uncomfortable with his actions and had guessed that it would be Cullen at the door. 

“It’s fine Cullen” Lady Pentaghast glances over her shoulder at her friend that has appeared in the doorway, she looks back to Lord Trevelyan and takes the shawl from his waiting finger. “We will finish this later, Inquisitor” Cassandra whispers dropping her eyes to his mouth when she sees him smirk.

“The family are ready to leave, Inquisitor. They are waiting for you in front of the house” The Commander nods in the general direction that the Trevelyan family have gathered. “I thought you might like to accompany me to the Chantry, Lady Pentaghast?” The Commander adds glancing at her to see if she has realised that there has been an issue with Cassandra going with the family.

“No, Cassandra is coming with me” Lord Trevelyan huffs when he turns back to face the Commander. “Who has said otherwise?” He asks fixing his eyes on Cullen who looks like he is wondering why he ever agreed to deliver the message and face the potential wrath of their leader.

“I’m sure I can guess” Lady Pentaghast sighs and pulls her shawl around her shoulders, she was sure the only one in the family that would question her being there would be a certain blonde former flame of the Inquisitor, that had been only too keen to spy on them and cause them upset. 

“I’m sorry Cassandra, Lady Annabelle has requested that you aren’t seen with the family when they accompanying Henry’s body. Lord and Lady Trevelyan have tried to get her to see reason but she has refused to allow them to go with Henry, if you are there too” Cullen sighs lowering his voice, The Seeker feels anger grip her at the nerve of that woman. “I’m sorry Ashton, they tried” The Commander adds looking to Lord Trevelyan who has gone quiet. Cassandra looks to lover to watching him cross his arms over his chest as he huffs, trying to take in Cullen’s message.

“She has no right” The Inquisitor suddenly shouts making Cullen and Cassandra flinch at his sudden outburst. “He is my brother. Cassandra is my partner. They are my parents.. She has no right to dictate who gets to do what” He rages as The Seeker sees him storm towards the door. “Anna can’t threaten my parents and expect to get away with it” He shouts before Cassandra moves to place herself between him and his exit, hoping that the rage that is threatening to take him again hasn’t got so great that he wont still be calmed.

“It’s fine Ashton, I will go with Cullen to the Chantry and I will meet you there” Lady Pentaghast sighs trying to calm her lover down, she places her hands on his crossed arms and then to his chest feeling the adrenaline beating through his veins and wondering if his sudden outburst has anything to do with the vial. “If she wants you to ride with her, I understand. I’m used to watching from the side remember” Cassandra smiles trying to ease his anger, she moves a hand to his face stroking his cheek when she sees it doesn’t have much of an effect. “You have to go with your family” She sighs when she feels him relax slightly at her touch and unfold his arms.

“You are my family. You are part of this family” Lord Trevelyan huffs quietly knowing that he isn’t going to be able to do anything about changing Lady Annabelle’s mind. As much as Cassandra hated the idea of having to watch him go without her, he needed to be there for his parents and his Nephews. She wasn’t a Trevelyan and in the eyes of the Chantry their relationship wasn’t traditional or moral “She has no right to do this, today of all days” The Inquisitor shakes his head and lets her stroke the soft skin at his neck with her fingers.

“Unfortunately she is his wife and her wishes are going to be the ones that people are listening to.. But getting angry at her and showing that this upsets you will only be letting her think she has won. Annabelle clearly wants to hurt you as much as she is hurting, so you have to go with them and show her that you are stepping up to be the head of this family” Lady Pentaghast gives him a reassuring smile watching him nod slowly. “You need to be there to support them”

“We wont be far behind you Ashton” The Commander adds trying to reassure him that he would keep them close and arrive as soon after them at the Chantry as they could. “Your Mother and Father were hoping you would travel with them” Cullen nods when Lord Trevelyan looks to him. “I will keep my eye on Cassandra” He adds in almost a whisper, not entirely sure if that would sooth the Inquisitor’s anger or not.

“This isn’t fair” Lord Trevelyan shakes his head again as he brings his hands up to her own face, he traces the line of her scar with his thumb setting his eyes on her. “What about what I need?” He asks watching the corner of her mouth lift, she knew that he needed her with him. The Seeker hated to see her Inquisitor sad but she felt glad that he found comfort in her and that it was something she could do for him, he did so much for everyone else and deserved some support. “You should get to be at my side and we are together whether she likes it or not” He adds dropping his hands so he can slide his arms around her again.

“Just tell your Mother and Father that I wish I could have accompanied them this morning and that it’s not their fault” Lady Pentaghast watches her lover drop his head before nodding. Cassandra leans forward to press her mouth against the side of his head, trying to ignore the feeling of the Commander’s eyes burning into her. “We will see you at the Chantry” Cassandra adds when he rests his forehead against hers. “I love you” She whispers feeling him smile at her words.

“I love you,” Lord Trevelyan smiles pressing his lips to her cheek. “More than anything in the world” He adds making Cassandra blush, she hated that he had that affect on her. Seekers were not supposed to blush. Cassandra let’s him take her into his arms again, resting her head against his as he holds her tightly. “Don’t touch the vial” He whispers when she feels him place his hand on her pocket where it is being kept safe.

“I’ll walk you out, Inquisitor..” The Commander mumbles knowing if he doesn’t interrupt them he will never get them to let go of each other. Cassandra feels her lover nod as he releases her from his arms but moves to take both of her hands in his. The Seeker glances at Cullen who just sighs to himself when he approaches them.

“Brave faces” Lady Pentaghast smiles to Lord Trevelyan receiving another nod as he steps out of the door that Cullen holds open for him, waiting till the last moment he can before he lets go of her hand.

The Seeker moves to stand in the doorway watching the Inquisitor and the Commander walk away from her and down the hallway together. She watches Cullen place his hand on the Inquisitor’s back giving him a supportive pat that makes her smile, it was a lot easier having them not at each others throats all the time now that they were becoming friends. She couldn’t help but wonder if there would ever be right moment to tell the Inquisitor how he really got the wound to his back, that she can see he still favours when he walks. Maybe when they had lifted the taint from him and destroyed the magic, maybe when he was feeling more himself and she had him in a relaxing bath with as little stress as possible.. Maybe then she would tell him that the Commander had tried to kill him.


	18. Daniel

Lady Pentaghast slips through the large door of the Ostwick Chantry, glancing around at the building she has entered with great interest. It is much smaller than many of the Chantries she has visited previously with the Divine, but she can see that a lot of love and attention has been put into it and that it appears to be used very regularly by the families that live in Ostwick. She notices the candles that have been lit and dotted around giving the room a warm glow in the otherwise dark, the only other light that fills it comes from the open doors she has stepped through. When she lets her eyes travel to the pews, she is sure she has never seen as many people squashed into one room as this before. Even at breakfast in Skyhold when the Great Hall was full of hungry bellies, you could still find somewhere to perch. The Seeker immediately notices that although there are hundreds of people all trying to find a place to sit in the small amount of wooden seating, it is extremely quiet and there is only a hushed amount of noise from peoples quiet whispering to the person next to them.  
  
The Seeker feels The Commander place a comforting hand on her arm letting her know that he is going to find a seat for himself somewhere close to the back, she looks to him when he motions his head towards the front with a nod and smile.  
  
“Thank you” Cassandra mouths the words to him as quiet as she can when he squeezes her arm again before moving away from her. The Seeker watches him apologise and excuse himself as he weaves through a group of Nobles that are gathered together, when she is sure he has found a seat she turns her attention back to finding the Inquisitor.  
  
Lady Pentaghast trails her eyes around the room again taking in the beautiful coloured windows and fabric draperies that hang around them, the high ceiling with the ornate carving and hanging chandeliers. She lets her eyes finally drop to the wooden coffin that has been set at the front for everyone to see, covered in a flag and banner with the Templar insignia displayed proudly. Cassandra notices that flowers have been scattered around Lord Henry’s current resting place and a painting of him in his best Templar armour has been placed on top. The Seeker always found death customs so strange in Thedas, even though she had spent a long time away from Nevarra she was used to the traditions of her home. She had lived with her Uncle long enough to find City’s of Death the norm. The Chantry found Nevarra’s actions strange and frightening, not believing that bodies of the dead should ever be left in tombs or crypts, or walking around like un-dead. They believed as did most of Thedas that a body should be burned as Andraste had been and given to the family.  
  
  
“Cassandra!” The child’s shout draws her attention away from the coffin and to the direction that she hears her name being shouted, The Seeker notices that several people that were previously whispering to each other look up and begin tutting. She ignores their scorn and whispering when she sees Jack running towards her, dodging the crowds that are beginning to push to try and get as close to the front as they can.  
  
“Jack” Cassandra smiles and crouches down when he throws himself at her, wrapping his arms around her in a hug that she gladly receives and returns. The Seeker places her hands on his back wondering how awful this whole experience must be for him. “You look very handsome today. Just like your Uncle” The Seeker whispers when he pulls away from her taking her hands, she sees that he has been dressed in his finest dark clothes and someone has worked very hard to try and keep his unruly dark hair flat against his head.  
  
“Why didn’t you come with us?” Jack asks tilting his head to the side with his question; Cassandra gives him a small smile placing her hand on top of his head as she stands. “Uncle Ashton was sad without you,” He adds reaching to wrap his arms around her waist again.  
  
“I had something to do, but I’m here now” Lady Pentaghast replies feeling him squeeze her even tighter, whether he was her lovers son or not she was becoming very fond of this boisterous child. The Seeker looks up to see that the Trevelyan family are gathered at the front by the first two pews; she sees that friends and admirers are talking to Lord William and Lady Louisa. All of them desperate to give them their condolences and touch their hands, looking sadly at the grieving wife who sits silently in the pew staring straight ahead.  
  
“Come and sit with us” Jack whispers taking hold of her hand again beginning to drag her down the aisle towards the front, Cassandra begins apologising to people when they accidently bump shoulders with them finding it hard to move. Lady Pentaghast lets her eyes settle on Annabelle who now has her head dipped ignoring the people around her. She was, as Cassandra had guessed, dressed in a very large and over the top black dress that drips with jewels and wealth. The Seeker was unsure how she even managed to sit in such an extravagant dress with all its layers and skirts.  
  
Cassandra feels her breath catch in her throat when she finally lays her eyes on her Inquisitor, so glad to see that he has made it to the Chantry and is still with them. She sees that he has already shed his coat and rolled his shirtsleeves up his forearms trying to make himself more comfortable in such a formal situation. Lady Pentaghast watches him stand up from a spot he has sat in on the font pew where he has left his jacket; he walks away from his family when they are all distracted by a group of Templars that have arrived to pay their respects to Henry. The Inquisitor moves to stand in front of his brother’s coffin, his eyes looking down at the painting on top as he places his palm against the polished wood. She couldn’t imagine the guilt he must have been feeling.  
  
“Ashton..” Cassandra whispers hoping for it to just be loud enough for him to hear as she walks with Jack. The Seeker glances around her again looking at all the different groups of people that are in attendance, she spots people that look to be extended family and friends, groups that look like they are from his days with the Templar’s and several more that appear to be important representatives of the Chantry and of The Free Marches. Everyone is dressed in their finest armour or dark clothing out of respect for someone these people all clearly adored.  
  
“Uncle Ashton” Jack mimics Cassandra only being a little bit louder than her whisper, she feels the small boy huff when his Uncle still doesn’t hear them. The Seeker watches Lady Annabelle look over her shoulder when she hears Jack’s voice, ready to scold him for speaking at all when she has obviously told him to keep his mouth firmly closed. As soon as Annabelle sees Cassandra she turns around again looking cross before moving from her own spot on the pew and heading over to Lord Trevelyan.  
  
“Ashton” Cassandra hears Lady Annabelle sob as she throws herself into the Inquisitors arms dramatically, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him towards her into her embrace. The Seeker watches her begin crying onto his shoulder when he places his arms gently around her trying to comfort her after her sudden collapse onto him. She sees Anna sniff when he pulls away from her slightly and places his hand on her cheek trying to get her to stop crying, Lady Annabelle rests her hand against the Inquisitors beginning to coo something at him. Cassandra tries to hide her smile when she sees Lord Trevelyan trying to untangle himself from her and motioning for her to return to her seat, suddenly becoming annoyed that even after everything she has done to try and hurt him she was now taking advantage of his kindness and his want to comfort her.  
  
“That is the one from Nevarra” Lady Pentaghast hears someone whisper when she walks past them. “Isn’t she the one with the parents that tried to overthrow the king?” She hears another. “Isn’t she a Seeker?” Cassandra hears a man whisper to his friend. “She is one of Lord Trevelyan’s advisors isn’t she?” Lady Pentaghast holds her head higher when she feels everyone’s eyes on her when they have spotted her. “I hear she is sharing his bed to gain influence for herself” A woman giggles when she is told this by her friend. “You cannot blame her, Lord Trevelyan is lovely” The young lady hisses back at her friend. The Seeker cringes at their words. “I can’t believe he has allowed her to be here” Cassandra feels her shoulders begin to sink. “I hear Ashton will be marrying Lady Annabelle” The Seeker feels a lump forming in her throat and tears threatening to fall as she quickly scoops Jack up so she can walk faster, letting him sit on her hip and wrap his arms around her.  
  
“Cass..” The Seeker hears the Inquisitor’s voice when he turns to see her with Jack in her arms looking flustered and upset at their words. “Hey are you okay?” He asks moving away from Lady Annabelle and rushing towards her, he side steps around some nobles that are trying to speak to his parents. Cassandra just gives him a nod, the last thing she wanted to do was add anymore upset to his already troubled mind today. She gives him a light smile when he lets her place Jack down on the floor before he draws her against him.  
  
“We are in the Chantry” Lady Pentaghast hisses when she hears Jack laughing at their side watching his favourite Uncle wrap his arms around The Seeker. “You are being inappropriate and they will make you marry Annabelle” Cassandra whispers trying to wriggle away from him and dropping her voice so Jack doesn’t hear. She watches the Inquisitor look to his parents who are now watching their son and his lover, they both motion for Jack to come and sit down with them.  
  
“I’m not marrying Annabelle” The Inquisitor chuckles quietly making her roll her eyes; she was merely passing on the whispering messages that she had heard. “I’m marrying you, Seeker” Lord Trevelyan adds smiling when she finally stops trying to move away from him and goes back to ignoring the stares they are receiving. Cassandra sighs and places her hands on his shoulders; she knew they were being too blatant for the Inquisitor and his advisor. “I think the Chantry is as good a place as any to show love for each other, isn’t that what Andraste and the Maker would have wanted?” The Inquisitor begins making Cassandra smile and shake her head, he was the worst Andrastian she had ever met she was sure.   
  
“Actually, Andraste..” Lady Pentaghast begins making the Inquisitor laugh again and lower his head to kiss her silencing her lecture on all of the ways that he probably shouldn’t be kissing her in front of everyone.  
  
“Come and sit with me, Lady Pentaghast” Lord Trevelyan whispers when he breaks his mouth from hers. The Seeker just nods hearing the muttering from the other attendees getting louder at the scene playing out in front of them. Well done, Lord Inquisitor for your wonderful use of subtlety.   
  
Cassandra lets him take hold of her hand as he brings it up to his mouth pressing a kiss there when he lets his eyes fix on hers, she drops her own from his gaze suddenly feeling exposed to all of the people around them.  
  
“I’m so sorry for his bad behaviour” Lady Pentaghast leans towards Lord and Lady Trevelyan whispering to them her apologises, they both give her a reassuring smile and shake their heads. “He is usually much better behaved than this” Cassandra adds letting the Inquisitor direct her into the wooden pew behind his parents.  
  
“I don’t believe my son has ever been well behaved” Lord William Trevelyan chuckles turning to face his son and Cassandra, he reaches his hand over the back of his seat to reach for her hand which she gives him. “Never one for protocol or subtlety” William adds squeezing her hand in a warm greeting.  
  
“He loves you,” Lady Trevelyan nods, turning in her seat too to place her hand on the Inquisitor. “I think its lovely. Let them talk, they are just jealous that you have found love with each other and aren’t being forced together” Louisa smiles when she looks to Cassandra. “We are so sorry you weren’t with us Cassandra” Lady Trevelyan adds with a sad nod, Lady Pentaghast leans forward to give his Mother a hug best she can over the back of the pew. “We know Ashton needs you with him, right now” She sighs.  
  
“I understand” Lady Pentaghast gives her a reassuring look when they part. “I wanted to be with you all, but I understand” She says again glancing to the Inquisitor. “Soon I will be with you in body and in name” Cassandra smiles when she sees his parents nod enthusiastically. “When he makes an honest woman out of me” Cassandra giggles lightly when she sees the Inquisitor smirk.  
  
“We look forward to that day” William smiles again patting his son on the arm before turning back in his seat. Cassandra tries to hide her smile when she sees Lord Trevelyan start telling Lady Trevelyan that she should turn around now and stop bothering them. Lady Trevelyan turns to whisper something to her husband making him go quiet, Cassandra couldn’t wait to be older with her love and be like this.  
  
“You are already part of our family and I love you both dearly” Lady Trevelyan adds placing her hand briefly on Cassandra’s cheek before turning in her own seat, back to look straight ahead of her. The Seeker feels the Inquisitor shuffle closer to her on the pew and lift his arm to rest around her shoulders, along the top of the wooden back. She watches Lady Annabelle take her seat again, taking hold of a sleeping Elliot as he is passed to her.  
  
“Are they okay?” Cassandra whispers quietly to the Inquisitor when she leans into his body, letting him place his hand on her shoulder. She feels him press his mouth against her hair as he just replies with a positive hmm. “I think we should stay for a few more days to make sure” Lady Pentaghast whispers hoping that his parents down hear her talking about them.  
  
“Don’t you want to go home?” He whispers resting his chin against the top of her head, Cassandra nods and smiles. She couldn’t wait to get home to Skyhold, to see their friends and she had to admit.. get back out there and stretch her legs.  
  
“But home will still be there” Lady Pentaghast replies moving to place her hand on his thigh. “I think we both need some time and I think you need to be here with them for a little while longer” Cassandra adds when she removes herself from beneath his head and sits up straighter so she can look around them. The Seeker lets her eyes travel over the faces of the people that are mostly now judging her quietly hoping she would set eyes on the person she needed to help her. Lady Pentaghast spots Cullen at the back who nods his head to her, giving her a questioning look as to who she is trying to find in the crowd.  
  
“Who are you looking for?” The Inquisitor hisses looking around them too before leaning towards her. “Lady Pentaghast” Lord Trevelyan sighs when she finally diverts her eyes back to him, she shrugs before leaning into his shoulder again letting him return his arm around her.  
  
“No one” Cassandra gives him a smile and places her hand on his knee again trying to distract him from his questioning, he moves his hand over hers linking his fingers through her own. She watches him glance over his shoulder when the Chantry Brothers begin closing the door, stopping anyone else from entering during the proceedings. Cassandra watches the flames above their heads on the candles flicker when the doors are slammed shut, making the whole place much darker than she would have liked. The Seeker looks to the Inquisitor again who sets his eyes straight ahead of him, feeling him tense at her side now that they have closed the doors and his fight or flight appears to be wanting to kick in.  
  
“Sit down” Lady Pentaghast hears Lady Annabelle snap at her eldest son again when he looks over his own shoulder trying to locate the noise of the doors and what is happening for it to suddenly be so dark.  
  
“Would you like to sit with us Jack?” Lady Pentaghast whispers leaning forward and holding her arms out to him, she watches the boy glance to his mother and then to his grandparents wondering if he was about to be on the receiving end of a telling off. He begins nodding and Cassandra knows that she might be stepping out of line for even suggesting he leave the front row.  
  
“He is fine where he is” Lady Annabelle snaps at Cassandra pulling her son back into his seat. “Do not show me up today” She hisses at him when Cassandra feels Lord Trevelyan stand up from his seat, he leans forward placing his hands underneath Jack’s arms lifting him up and over the back of the pew. Lady Pentaghast smiles to herself when she sees The Inquisitor turn the boy to face him drawing him close to his body as he sits down again with his Nephew on his lap.  
  
“Don’t speak to him that way” Lord Trevelyan huffs as he lets Jack wriggle into the space next to him ignoring the glare that Lady Annabelle is directing his way. Louisa looks over at her shoulder at her Grandson giving him a smile; Jack was such a good boy. The Seeker watches the Inquisitor bring his finger to his lips, gently instructing Jack that he had to remain quiet now. Cassandra watches Lord Trevelyan wrap his arm around his Nephew, stroking his hair trying to bring him comfort on a day he feels he is responsible for.  
  
“We are all gathered today to mourn the great loss of our Lord Henry William Trevelyan the 2nd..” The Reverend Mother begins as she moves to stand at the front of the Chantry, raising her voice so the people at the back can hear and so that those that are whispering go quiet. “A former Templar and faithful servant of the Maker” She continues looking around at the people gathered in front of her. “A key member of our community here in Ostwick” The Mother adds with a nod of her head, she places her hand on the coffin as The Inquisitor had done. “A loving Son of Lord and Lady Trevelyan, a Brother to Ashton, and a dedicated Husband and Father to Annabelle and their boys Jack and Elliot” She sighs looking across at his family.  
  
Cassandra places her hand on the Inquisitor’s arm when she feels his shoulders slump at her words; she strokes her palms against his skin trying to offer him some silent comfort. He places his hand over hers quickly looking to her. No mention of Daniel, he really had been removed from the family. The Seeker feels a tight knot begin in her stomach when she realises what she has done could cause a lot of pain to those that she loves.  
  
“Today we will return Henry’s body to the Maker as Andraste was, when we allow the fire to release his soul to them both” She watches Jack bury his head into his Uncles side having to listen to what they intend to do to his Father. Lady Pentaghast watches Lord Trevelyan drop his head slightly when he feels that all eyes have been turned towards the Trevelyan family.  
  
Lady Pentaghast watches as his mother drops her head with a sob, his brave Father wrapping his arm around her as she begins crying into his shoulder. She glances as her Inquisitor again who looks distressed that his mother is crying in front of him, he sets his sad eyes straight ahead of him again trying to put his own brave face on. The Inquisitor moves his hand to rest on her thigh, the warmth of his skin giving her some comfort too.  
  
“We have family and friends that have travelled from far away to be here today. As well as those that knew Lord Trevelyan from the time that he spent with the Order serving the Chantry and protecting us from the evil of both man and other world. All of us will have different memories of Henry, but all of us will be able to agree on one thing and that is that he was truly a wonderful man” The Reverend Mother smiles at Lord and Lady Trevelyan. Cassandra sighs to herself, she wasn’t sure she believed Henry to be a good man anymore. The more she learnt about him, the more she was sure he had done lots of very bad things and managed to get away with them. But Ashton loved him and so did his family.  
  
“He was well loved by all those that knew him and respected by all of those that he commanded. He worked tirelessly for the cause and to build a life for himself and his family here in the place that he was born. From the day Henry was born to the Trevelyan household we knew he was set to do great things and become something great, a great man” The Mother continues pausing when the large doors at the back of the Chantry are pushed open.  
  
The moment the Reverend Mother ends on telling those gathered that Lord Henry was a great man, Cassandra’s ears prick up when she hears the quiet thud of the Chantry doors closing. The tight knot in her stomach suddenly feels like it has made its way to her chest and is currently battling to break free from within her. She hears mumbling and quiet nervous chatter behind her when she realises whoever has just walked through the door, late to the funeral, is causing quite a commotion. The Seeker feels her Inquisitor fidget at her side, obviously bothered by the noise behind him when he is trying to pay attention to the service.  
  
“It’s Daniel” Cassandra hears a woman a few pews behind her hiss to her friend. The Seeker sinks down in her seat hearing these words, suddenly feeling faint. He had received her letter and he was right there in the Chantry in Ostwick, interrupting his Brother’s funeral and walking so blatantly down the aisle towards a family that had disowned him. The Inquisitor sits bolt upright in his seat when he hears his Brother’s name being mentioned.  
  
“Daniel” Lady Pentaghast hears The Inquisitor mumble as if he has a nasty taste in his mouth, she feels him look over his shoulder as she tries to avoid looking at him. She feels his whole body tightening when he sets eyes on the black sheep of the family, the dirty secret; the Blood Mage. Cassandra glances at Lord Trevelyan who is now climbing to his feet.  
  
“Sit down Little Brother” Daniel Trevelyan sighs when he reaches the front two pews, he places his hand on the Inquisitor’s shoulder trying to push him back down into his seat. Cassandra sees Lord and Lady Trevelyan turn in surprise hearing the voice of the son they haven’t seen for years. This was all her fault, it was all about to implode within the walls and it was her doing. She sees the horror on his parents faces and realises that she had made the wrong decision.  
  
“Daniel” The Inquisitor growls shoving his brother’s hand away from him aggressively as he stands to his full height. “Get out” Lord Trevelyan adds through gritted teeth when he watches Daniel look sadly at his parents who turn away from him and go back to staring straight ahead.  
  
“Do not make a scene Ashton” Daniel replies with a sigh finally looking down at Cassandra who shrinks further into her seat under his gaze, she feels the piercing blue eyes rest on her when she looks at him. He was every bit as beautiful as the picture she had seen of him. His features were fine and angular, his hair was the brightest blonde she had ever seen and his smile reminded her of her lovers; full of cheekiness but with a hint of worry. She reaches her hand to place on Lord Trevelyan’s back trying to get him to sit down again. “Sit down and let the Dear Reverend Mother finish what she was saying” He adds with a smile which only makes the Inquisitor huff further and being squeezing his hands into fists at his side.  
  
“Ash..” Cassandra begins feeling him fuming at her side like he is ready to throw himself out of the pew and throttle his brother at any moment. She glances to his parents again seeing that his mother is sobbing having seen Daniel and that everyone is whispering and chatting excitedly about what is happening. Cassandra can hear ‘Blood Mage’ and ‘Murderer’ more than she wanted to.  
  
“I came to pay my respects to my Brother” Daniel adds as he turns to the rest of the people gathered there. “Yes, I am Daniel Trevelyan. I’m so glad my name proceeds me. Yes everything you’ve heard about me is true..” He sighs making them all whisper even more loudly. “I wanted to say goodbye to your beloved Henry” He lowers his voice as he smirks.  
  
“Do not touch him” The Inquisitor shouts raising his voice trying to get out of the pew that he is stood but Cassandra blocks his way, the last thing they needed was a fight to break out in the Chantry. The Seeker sighs with relief when she sees the Commander coming to their aid, he places his hands on the Inquisitor’s shoulders trying to block him in too.  
  
“Henry..” Daniel begins as he approaches the coffin. “Brother..” He adds as he shakes his hair, his blonde locks falling around his face when he bends his head forward. “May the Maker meet you and judge you for the sins you that you have committed in this world. For you have yet to pay for the atrocities that you committed against your own blood, my Brother. All things in this world are finite, what one man gains, another has lost. Those who steal from their brothers and sisters, do harm to their livelihood and to their peace of mind” Daniel speaks the brief chant as he places his hand on the coffin. “Our Maker sees this with a heavy heart. I pray the Maker forgives you, for I cannot” Daniel nods as he removes his palm.  
  
“Get out!” The Inquisitor shouts again, struggling against Cullen who uses his body weight to keep Lord Trevelyan where he is. “You have no right to be here! This has nothing to do with you!” He yells trying to struggle out of the Commander’s hold.   
  
The Seeker watches as Daniel just shakes his head, he looks to his parents again seeing that they are trying to ignore that he is even there. He tugs his leather coat around him as he approaches the pews that the family are sat in, Cassandra feels his eyes on her once more.  
  
“No one invited you” Lord Trevelyan snaps as he lunges at Daniel making the Mage laugh at his younger brothers actions. Cassandra looks to the Inquisitor knowing that this anger is mainly put may also have something to do with the vial. Daniel laughs again which only adds to his fury, the Inquisitor begins swinging his arms in his brothers direction.  
  
“You are wrong, Inquisitor” Daniel spits the title out as if it is venom on his tongue. “Your beautiful Lady Pentaghast invited me” He adds before he turns on his heals and storms out of the Chantry as quickly as he had entered.


	19. The Blood Mage

Lady Cassandra Allegra Portia Calogera Filomena Pentaghast, Seeker and 78th in line to the Nevarran Throne feels the Inquisitor, Lord Trevelyan, try and grab hold of her arm when she jumps to her feet and dashes out of the wooden pew to run after Daniel. She manages to slip out of his grasp when he tries to hold onto her, ignoring his pleas to not go anywhere near the Blood Mage and sprints past the mourners that are all beginning to talk loudly between themselves. She hears their confusion at what is taking place, why Daniel Trevelyan has come out of hiding and why Cassandra is trying to leave the building so quickly. Ignoring the Inquisitor’s shouts that follow her from the Chantry, through the doors and out into Ostwick she runs, knowing she has to stop him from leaving. Daniel was here because of her after all, he had clearly received the letters she had sent him and she knew she had hurt her family by asking him to come; the least he could do was help her and the least she could do was speak to him and hear his side of the story.  
  
“Daniel, please wait” The Seeker shouts when she throws herself through the doors after him. “I need your help” She cries looking around to see that he has fled the courtyard and she can’t see where he would have disappeared to. “Please” Cassandra whispers trailing her eyes around the high walls seeing that he doesn’t have any normal way of escape.  
  
The Seeker turns her head back to glance into the Chantry when she hears the Inquisitor shouting at the top of his voice about how dare Daniel turn up and how dare Lady Pentaghast think it was okay to tell him about Henry’s death and funeral. She could hear that he was throwing things around in the darkness and over turning pews as he begins getting closer. Cassandra feels her stomach turn, he sounded furious and for the first time in a couple of days The Seeker felt truly afraid of the Inquisitor and the rage that was taking over him.  
  
“Daniel..” Lady Pentaghast sighs with frustration. “I know you have no reason to help us, I know that they have disowned you.. I can’t begin to understand what happened but you might be the only one that can help us” Cassandra raises her voice hoping that the blonde Mage might still be nearby. “Ashton is in trouble and I need you to tell me how to fix him” The Seeker feels her voice falter when she looks around her again, he was gone. Her one hope to lift the blood magic from her love, had fled. “Please don’t let me lose him” She feels herself sob.  
  
“He has no right to be here!” Cassandra glances behind her again when she hears the Inquisitor burst through the door shouting, The Commander Cullen trailing after him trying to calm his anger. “Don’t touch me” The Inquisitor turns his aggression at Cullen pulling his arm away from his grip. The Seeker watches the Inquisitor raise his hand pointing his finger into Cullen’s face, his eyes blazing with hostility. “Touch me again and I will be the one removing your tongue from you mouth” The Inquisitor growls at The Commander who holds his hands up in surrender, clearly remembering the threat that Cullen had directed at him on their way to Ostwick.   
  
“Just calm down.. This isn’t Cassandra’s fault” The Commander begins when Lady Pentaghast feels him return his gaze to her, a gaze that is not his own and is full of anger and hate. She looks into his usually loving brown eyes, seeing nothing that she recognises in them. The short amount of time that he had been exposed to the Vial has been enough to bring on his anger. The Commander steps in front of the Inquisitor again blocking his path from reaching her; he places his hands on his shoulder leaning all his weight into him trying to stop him.  


“Ashton, we need Daniel to help us” The Seeker begins stepping backwards when she sees he is heading straight for her. “Please listen to me” Cassandra adds beginning to move quicker, she feels her feet scuff against the loose stones and sand knowing that if she was to try and run she would end up falling.  
  
“I wont listen to your lies anymore you viper” The Inquisitor spits struggling against Cullen. “Every word that leaves your mouth is a lie, you manipulative bitch” He shouts at her as he continues to struggle against the Commanders hold getting more angry the longer he is being restrained. The Seeker looks at her friend that is working so hard to try and protect her and back to Lord Trevelyan that continues to throw insults at her.  
  
“Get out of here Cassandra” The Commander huffs as he shoves himself into the Inquisitor again, digging his boots into the dirt trying to get some leverage behind him to stop him moving. “He’s going to hurt you” Cullen puffs with effort trying to keep hold of the Inquisitor’s arms that he begins swinging at him. “Please go” The Commander pleads with her looking over his shoulder at her.  
  
“He wont hurt me” Lady Pentaghast mumbles stopping in her tracks, deciding that no matter how much rage he was being fuelled by, her Inquisitor was still in there somewhere and that the part of him that loved her would never hurt her like that.   
  
“Cass, please” The Commander begs her when she begins walking towards them again, coming dangerously close to his flailing arms.  
  
“Silly girl” Daniel’s voice echoes around the courtyard making Lady Pentaghast stop her movements towards the Inquisitor, she sees him falter in his struggling against Cullen when he hears his Brother’s voice. Cassandra jumps when the door to the Chantry is suddenly slammed shut by no one but a sudden rush of magic. “Of course he will hurt you.. He doesn’t know what he does or says, only that he wants to unleash what he is feeling” Daniels voice booms again from nowhere that they can locate. “You need to cool off, Brother” Daniel laughs.  
  
The Seeker steps back when The Inquisitor is suddenly swept off of his feet, an invisible hand taking hold of his legs from beneath him and lifting him up into the air. Cassandra watches as he struggles against the force that turns him upside down letting him dangle in mid air, thrashing about against his unseen restraints. Daniel’s laughter fills the air around them vibrating through them as he lifts the Inquisitor higher, dangling him like a rag doll. Lady Pentaghast watches The Commander drop to a knee panting from the effort of trying to restrain Lord Trevelyan.  
  
“Cullen” Cassandra shouts running to his side, she places her hand on his back trying to help him to his feet. He holds his hand up nodding, telling her that he is fine and just needs to get his breath back. “Please don’t hurt him, Daniel” Lady Pentaghast shouts again setting her eyes on the Inquisitor who has stopped struggling and seems to have gone quiet. Lady Pentaghast guides The Commander to his feet watching him place his hands on his hips, he glances up at Lord Trevelyan shaking his head.  
  
“I would never hurt him” Daniel replies leaning close to whisper in her ear making her jump again at his sudden appearance. “I am not Henry” He adds with a smile when she turns quickly to look at him. “He is fine Lady Pentaghast” Daniel nods setting his blue eyes on her. “But do not be so sure that he wouldn’t lay a hand on you.. If your friend here hadn’t stopped him” Cassandra watches Daniel nod towards the Commander before he lowers his eyes and shake his head.  
  
“He needs your help” The Seeker replies quickly following the Mage when he turns to leave again. “You are the only one that can help us” Cassandra adds when he stops to look at her over his shoulder.  


“But why should I help him?” Daniel asks turning back to her again, she watches him fold his arms across his chest. “He didn’t help me” Daniel adds biting at his bottom lip, Cassandra deciding it must be a Trevelyan habit and ingrained in all three boys. The Seeker sighs quietly, she didn’t know the truth about Daniel and she didn’t know if she ever would but he had to help them. Cassandra looks into his face for a moment wishing she could give him a hundred reasons as to why he should help her lover, she watches his mouth twitch into a smile when she doesn’t answer. “That’s what I thought” Daniel nods.  
  
“He is your Brother” The Seeker raises her voice, blurting out the first thing she can think of. Daniel laughs at her response when he lifts a hand to his face, he trails his fingers over his pale skin as if he is considering her answer.  


“I’m afraid that doesn’t work for me. The Inquisitor made it very clear that we are no longer Brothers” Daniel glances over to Lord Trevelyan who has stopped moving completely, he flicks his finger causing the Inquisitor to drop to the floor in a heap. Cassandra watches as Cullen goes over to him, checking that he is okay and that he is still breathing. “Anything else?” He smirks as he slides his hands down his dark green coat, smoothing it between his palms. The Seeker is sure that she can feel the space around them buzzing at the power that he holds within his body.  
  
“I love him” Cassandra adds watching him lift his eyes to her again, she sees him begin chewing over this information. He makes a humming noise when he taps his finger against his chin. The Seeker watches a smile tug at the corner of his mouth when he drags his hands through his long blonde hair, tucking it behind his head so it is away from his face.  
  
“That is a lovely sentiment” Daniel sighs as he gives her another smile. “Love is a great reason for me to want to save my dear Little Brother, this is true. I have to admit that love has been a driving force for me in the past. I cant deny you seem rather attached to him and I do owe me being here to you as well Lady Pentaghast” Daniel nods as he steps closer to her making the Seeker realise how much taller he is than her and that he towers over her smaller frame. “If you hadn’t sent me that first letter, I would never have found out what had happened to Henry..” Daniel looks down at her.  
  
“We are having a baby” The Seeker whispers looking into his face again, seeing it change when he hears her final answer. Cassandra feels her breath catch when Daniel places his hand on her cheek setting his eyes on her. She hears Cullen begin coming towards them when he sees that Daniel has his hands on her and that he might need to protect her from the blood mage.  
  
“Now, that really is the best reason why I should help you” Daniel nods dropping his hand from her face when he sees The Commander is glaring at him. “I could never deny a child, their Father.. And a Father should never be without his baby” Daniel adds giving her a small smile. “But Lady Pentaghast, before you tell me what has happened to my Brother, I want you to tell me what you know about me and why you ever thought it would be a good idea to try and find me” Cassandra watches Daniel look to the Inquisitor who lets out a groan when he starts to come to.  
  
The Seeker watches his lips tug into a smile again when he steps away from her, the static charge of magic leaving her body when he isn’t stood as close. The Seeker knew she had never met another Mage like his one before and it scared her, the raw power that ran through his veins was clearly dangerous. Cassandra lets her eyes trail over him when he diverts his attention to the banging coming from the other side of the Chantry door that he has sealed with magic. He looked nothing like Ashton or Henry but the way that he carried himself you could see they were related, he was tall and angular, his body much sleeker than her lovers but his frame was broad and powerful. Whenever he set his gaze on her she felt like her cheeks were burning.  
  
“All I have heard of you is how powerful you are, but they try not to speak of you” Cassandra begins making him look back at her again. “I have tried to get to know more about you, but they all shut down whenever your name is mentioned” The Seeker adds watching him sigh and drop his head. “You bring them pain and they wont talk about it” Lady Pentaghast whispers.  
  
“The lies bring them pain, not me” Daniel gives a dry laugh when Cassandra looks at him. “If you even know my name, you are clearly too nosey for your own good” Daniel chuckles making Cassandra feel more at ease.  
  
“I’ve been told..” The Seeker drops her head and smiles when he turns his gaze to her again. “All I know of you is what I read in a book when we were trying to find out about Henry” Cassandra adds watching him nod at her words. “I know you are a Blood Mage” Lady Pentaghast feels the words catch on her tongue.  
  
“Ah” Daniel nods crossing his arms again. “So now we get to the interesting part” He adds with a snort. “Tell me more, please Lady Pentaghast. I am all ears” He replies dramatically bending at the waist.  


“Did you really kill all of those people? Did you really nearly have Henry killed?” Cassandra asks forcefully, she suddenly feels guilty for pressing too hard when she watches him stand to his full height and drop his head again. He lifts his hand to his face pressing a finger against the spot between his eyes as if her questions are already bothering him.  
  
“No I did not kill all of those people” Daniel replies coolly “As for the second question my dear Henry nearly got himself killed” He adds with a sigh. “There is one thing you need to know about Lord Henry Trevelyan, Lady Pentaghast and that is that every good thing you have ever heard about that man, every kind word you have ever heard uttered about him is completely untrue and based on a lie” Daniel adds watching as The Inquisitor begins sitting himself up, rubbing his painful head.  
  
“I don’t understand” Cassandra begins seeing Daniel huff.  


“Henry was a fraud, a cheat and a liar. He tried to destroy my life and he tried to do the same to Ashton. Unfortunately my younger Brother is far too forgiving and let him get away with it, he idolised the man that he thought Henry was. The rest of what happened, well he was only a child and his memories are distorted. He remembers a very different version of our childhood with Henry” Daniel shakes his head again as if the memories are just as painful for him.  
  
“Then tell me the truth, let me understand what happened” The Seeker reaches to place her hand on his arm when she sees that he is struggling to draw the words from his mouth. “Ashton loved Henry” Cassandra whispers which receives a laugh from Daniel.  
  
“Henry didn’t love him in return. He used Ashton, he hurt him and treated him like a dog” Daniel bites at his bottom lip again before looking back to Cassandra. “My family wont listen to me, they cast me aside because of his lies. I don’t even know where to begin..” Daniel frowns slightly. “Henry was a bully, he used to be so unkind to us both when we were children. He was the golden boy and everyone loved him; that appears to have remained through to his death. He was a cruel child, the kind that would cause pain to his friends and siblings, that found pleasure in tormenting animals.. I’m sure you have come across children like him” The Seeker sees him shake his head again.  
  
“I’m not familiar with many children” Cassandra replies making him smile at her response, he fixes his eyes on her again dropping his eyes to her lips.  
  
“His actions only got worse the older he got, he was much stronger than us both and he used that to his advantage.. He would fly into fits of rage and we were always his target” Daniel sighs remembering the feel of his Brothers fists on him. “You know he tried to drown Ashton” Daniel adds glancing at her, Cassandra was sure she felt the blood drain from her face.  
  
“That’s horrible” She whispers watching Daniel nod again, The Seeker looks over her shoulder at Lord Trevelyan who is sitting still looking groggy with the Commander crouched in front of him.  
  
“I don’t think I need to share with you all of the horrors of our child hood with Henry, all you need to know is that he made our life awful. Ashton was young and like a puppy that follows you around obediently, no matter how hard he kicked him he was still loyal and would come back for more. I was glad of the day my magic first began to present itself because Henry turned his attention away from Ashton and only at me.. I slept with a blade beneath my pillow from the age of ten, because his favourite game was to try and kill me while I slept” Daniel zones out for a moment, Cassandra notices the sadness in his eyes as if no one has listened to him before when he has tried to talk about this.  
  
“What happened when you left for the Circle?” Cassandra asks drawing his attention back to her. The Seeker feels her breath catch again when Daniel approaches her, he steps close to her again letting his eyes search her face and she is sure he is going to touch her.  
  
“Henry swore that he would become a Templar so that he could control his Mage Brother.. I couldn’t wait for the day that I would leave and join a circle because I know I would be safe from him. I worried for Ashton though; he still loved Henry and believed he could do no wrong. He passed off any insults and punishment that Henry directed at him as Brotherly Affection” Daniel chuckles “I came home as often as I could to make sure he was okay but by that time Henry had joined the Templars and was focusing his attention on his career. Life for a while was quiet, Henry had the Templars, I had my circle and Ashton was blossoming into a real pain in the backside” Daniel laughs again and looks at his Brother, Cassandra sees a real look of affection and love on his face.  
  
“Why so?” Lady Pentaghast asks smiling when she sees him look at the Inquisitor. “I don’t believe he was ever difficult” Cassandra laughs when Daniel looks back at her and gives her a raise of an eyebrow. She could definitely imagine her lover being difficult as a young man, he was too fond of breaking the rules and doing the complete opposite of what he was told.  
  
“Ashton had met Lady Annabelle by this point..” Daniel begins settling his eyes to hers again. “I’m sorry I have to mention her, but she has been hurt in this as much as he has..” Daniel adds giving her an apologetic smile. “I had found my own perfect other half at my Circle” Cassandra sees him smile wistfully at the thought of her before he turns to burn his eyes into her again. “Henry was raising quickly through the ranks of the Templar Order. Unfortunately for all of those that he commanded his commendations and achievements were actually all other members of the Order, he would just lie and bully others into letting him take the praise. Once a bully, always a bully”  
  
“Why did no one stop him? Didn’t your parents see what he was really like? Why would any Templar let him get away with it?” The Seeker asks feeling like she suddenly has a hundred questions for the Mage. She knew there had been something off about Henry, she knew he wasn’t everything that he appeared to be.  
  
“Because they were scared of him, Lady Pentaghast. My Brother was well practiced in the art of manipulation, blackmail and brute force. He would threaten and harm anyone that would cross him. He managed to create a very tight circle of friends within the Templars that he promised the world to; he told them that if they supported him, he would help them achieve greatness. People do stupid things when they are promised greatness” Cassandra just nods at his words watching him step away from her. “My parents didn’t know, he had them wrapped around his finger too. He was the golden boy as I said, they would never think badly of him. They had a difficult time accepting that I was a Mage and would be unable to be a Templar or work for the Chantry, so Henry was who they pinned all their hopes on” Daniel huffs slightly. “Ashton was younger and they were happy for him to forge his own path”  
  
“What happened at the Circle?” The Seeker whispers watching his shoulders drop. “I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t pry but I need to know. You are confirming everything I believed about Henry but I need to know that you aren’t the murderer that they say you are” Cassandra adds watching him nod slowly.  
  
“I assume, seeing as you are a Seeker, you have heard of the Right of Annulment” Daniel drops his head again; he closes his eyes for a moment before looking to Cassandra who nods. Everyone knew about that; it was the code that meant if the Templar order believed a Mage was out of control or a danger to themselves and those around them, they could use fatal force against them and wipe out and entire circle. The use of the Right of Annulment was a greatly heated and argued matter, many believed it was the only way to truly keep people safe from Mages, others thought it was a tragic waste of life and a barbaric practice. “Lord Henry Trevelyan, the brave and fearless Templar, marched his men to my Circle and enacted the Right of Annulment. He claimed a dangerous Blood Made resided in the tower and that the Blood Mage had recently Fathered a child.. A child that Lord Henry claimed was an abomination” Lady Pentaghast feels her breath catch in her throat at his words.  
  
“Daniel..” She whispers seeing his shoulders drop again at the painful memory.  
  
“My daughter was not an abomination” Daniel sobs suddenly breaking down in front of her. “My wife and child, Lady Pentaghast, were not dangerous or any threat to anyone. I loved them.. I was not dangerous, I was just a man trying to protect his family when the Templars attacked us in the middle of the night” Daniel sobs again as the Seeker watches him drop to his knees. “We didn’t even have a chance to escape.. They killed everyone in their beds. My daughter.. My whole world” He sobs lowering his head, letting his hair fall around his face. Cassandra notices that the Commander has noticed Daniels actions and is watching with concern on his face that this sudden display of grief might be dangerous.  


“I didn’t know” The Seeker whispers as she crouches in front of him placing her hand on his shoulder, she feels his body shake beneath her palm like she has done many times with the Inquisitor. Henry had ordered their deaths and no one had batted an eye. “I’m so sorry” She adds looking into his face that he hides behind his hands.  
  
“They destroyed everything they touched, but they left me to watch and left me to hold them in my arms until they had finished their destruction..” Daniel gulps a lungful of air trying to compose himself. “Forgive my grief, Lady Pentaghast” Daniel adds rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.  
  
“Your grief is understandable” Cassandra whispers reaching to take his hand trying to offer him some comfort when it is her fault he is telling her all of this.  
  
“Like I said, I didn’t kill the people in the tower. But I did kill those Templars.. I tried to kill Henry but he begged me for his life and I couldn’t do it. When I had him dangling over the edge of the tower, I couldn’t end his life.. So I fled and I hid, like a coward. I travelled around for a few years until people started forgetting what I looked like and I could stay still without the fear of being captured. I heard that Henry had said he had refused to kill me, made him look like he was merciful but in reality it was my decision to not end his life. It got back to me that he had been tried, I thought that he would be found guilty for his crimes but he wasn’t.. He was released and stripped of his title but he was free”  
  
“That must have been terrible for you” Lady Pentaghast sighs when she sees him nod, he looks up at her again setting his now watery blue eyes on her. “I’m so sorry that you lost your family.. and your home” Cassandra adds watching him tuck his hair behind his ears again.  
  
“I managed to stay close to Ostwick for some time, I missed home so much in those days and I missed Ashton. I missed my parents.. They cut all ties with me as their son as soon as they heard the lies that Henry told them” Daniel sniffs. “I missed my Brother most of all” Daniel adds glancing to the Inquisitor again. “When I heard what Henry did to him it made me so angry, I wanted to rush home and confront him. But I was too scared of facing my family and too scared that Henry would have me killed even after he was dismissed from his Order”  
  
“What do you know about what happened with Annabelle? I didn’t even know she existed in the way that she does until we came here.. The Inquisitor failed to mention their relationship to me” Cassandra sighs when Daniel gives her a reassuring smile.  
  
“My little Brother is kind, but sometimes he keeps things to himself to save others getting hurt and he shouldn’t” Daniel smiles at her again. “Word got to me that Ashton and Annabelle were due to be married, I of course wasn’t invited. I had been having contacts keep an eye on Henry though and I know that he had tried to intimidate Anna from the moment he met her” Daniel adds.  
  
“Intimidate Anna? We are talking about the same woman aren’t we?” Cassandra chuckles at his idea of Lady Annabelle, she didn’t seem like the kind of person that could be intimidated by anyone. She was a hard woman.  
  
“Henry had already decided that he wanted Annabelle for himself, he was addicted to Lyrium by that point and completely out of control. He threatened her and manipulated her until she would do anything he asked of her, including leaving her beloved, your Inquisitor, at the alter” The Seeker feels her stomach lurch at his words, as far as she had been told Henry and Annabelle had been having an affair behind the Inquisitor’s back but Daniel’s story didn’t match. “Please forgive me for saying this, but Annabelle loved Ashton, she really did and I’m certain she still does.. I heard that they were going to have a child and I was truly happy for them both. But Henry had got to her; he had twisted her around his finger and told her he would kill Ashton if she went through with the wedding. Henry stole Annabelle from Ashton and he forced her to marry him” Daniel shakes his head. “If she loved him even half as much as I loved my wife, which I believe she did, I cant imagine how it must have felt for Annabelle to be so terrified for Ashton’s life that she would agree to marry a man that wanted to control her and force himself on her”  
  
“But that isn’t what happened” Lady Pentaghast whispers, feeling her eyes widen at this revelation. “Lady Annabelle chose Henry, they had been together in secret behind Ashton’s back and she left him for Henry.. I’ve seen her, she is grieving for him” Cassandra adds feeling like her own tears and threatening to fall.  
  
“She is grieving for a man that gave her, her second child. That did share his life with her.. But it wasn’t her choice. Anna has kept up the pretence for all of these years that she was happy with him, but I know she wasn’t. There was no secret affair or forbidden love. He manipulated her and crushed her spirit” Daniel gives her another apologetic look. “I’m sorry but I may not have been in the house but I was never far away from Ashton. I know that Henry purposely destroyed his life just because he could” The Seeker feels that it is Daniel’s turn to take her hand, giving her a squeeze to bring her back to him. Cassandra couldn’t believe what she was hearing, Annabelle hadn’t left Ashton to hurt him and betray him. She had left him because she feared for his safety and had been trying to protect him. When Lord Trevelyan clearly had no intention of removing himself from a dangerous situation when Jack was born, Annabelle had driven him out to make him leave. She had been trying to keep him safe from Henry.  


“That means Jack is his son” Cassandra sobs dropping Daniel’s hand and jumping to her feet. “Why didn’t someone stop him?” The Seeker shouts suddenly feeling overcome with anger and hurt. Henry had tried to destroy the lives of everyone around him, not satisfied at just hurting Daniel but leaving Ashton with nothing. “Maker.. Why didn’t you stop him?” Lady Pentaghast sobs again turning her back on him.

 

“He was out of control.. Henry was dangerous. What was I supposed to do? You saw how they were, they won’t even look at me. They would have thought that I was trying to get revenge for what he did” Daniel replies defensively when she turns to frown at him. “I’m sorry, I thought you knew about Jack being Ashton’s Son” Daniel climbs to his feet approaching her.  
  
“Ashton doesn’t even know the truth” The Seeker sighs “He believes Jack is Henry’s son because he believes the lies that he was told. Henry told him he wasn’t his son and that he wasn’t wanted.. He drove Ashton out of his home and took his family from him” Cassandra adds closing her eyes.  
  
“I know.. I was there” Daniel whispers approaching her. “I saw him return on the day that Jack was born and I saw the way that Henry treated him” Daniel chokes having to recall how it felt to see his brother in so much pain. “I saw him leave and never thought I’d see him again.. Of course I heard that Ashton had joined the Inquisition, and I’d heard that he had become Inquisitor” Daniel begins babbling as a smile creeps on to his face. “I was so proud of him when I heard.. But not as proud as you have made me by telling me you are having a child together” He smiles to her.  
  
“Why didn’t you try and contact him?” Lady Pentaghast asks turning to him. “Am I really the first one that has tried to reach you, even after all this time?” Cassandra adds watching the smile slip from his mouth.  
  
“I wrote to him everyday in the beginning..” Daniel begins meeting her eyes with his with a nod. “But he began returning my letters, unopened” He sighs fixing his blues on her. “Soon I could only face writing to him every other day.. Then once a week..” Daniel scoffs and shakes his head sadly. “I have lost so many years with him.. He was not much more than a boy when we last spoke” Daniel looks beyond her to his Brother again. “But yes, you are the first to try and find me and I’m glad that you did. When I received your first letter telling me of Henry’s death I was relieved, almost free of the burden I’ve carried for all of these years. I wasn’t going to do anything about your letter; I wasn’t going to come here. But when you wrote to me again and told me that you believed Ashton had been cursed with Blood Magic.. I couldn’t not be here” Cassandra sighs with relief at his words.  
  
“You still have time to make amends with him.. There is still time to make people listen to you and for the truth to be known. Surely now Annabelle is free from Henry, she will back you up and I know that you know what a great man Ashton is” Lady Pentaghast nods as she follows his gaze to the Inquisitor. “He is good and he is kind.. This anger you have seen in him isn’t who he is. He is nothing like Henry” Cassandra adds placing her hands on Daniel’s shoulders.  
  
“I don’t know if they would ever believe me.. They loved Henry and my parents clutch so tightly to the image of him that they want to believe is the truth” Daniel sighs when Cassandra rubs his arms. “I don’t know if Annabelle would ever betray the secrets he forced on her..” He adds. “But it makes me so happy to know what a good man he has grown into, despite everything that Henry put us through. I always knew that his heart was good and that he would do great things” Cassandra feels herself smile at his words.  
  
“Just promise me you will try.. They need their son Daniel, they need you and they need to know the truth. They all need the truth so they can heal and you can be a family again” The Seeker nods positively “I’m so sorry that all of those things happened to you” Cassandra adds watching him give her a reassuring smile that he was okay.   
  
“Thank you, I appreciate that” Daniel smiles “I’m glad that Ashton has found happiness with you, I’ll do whatever I can to rid him of this magic and protect him from what I can.. Now you said in your letter that you believe it is a vial of yours and his blood that is causing the trouble? That it has caused him to act out of character and make him dangerous?” Daniel asks making Lady Pentaghast nod.  
  
“Yes. At first it was only when he wore it, but now even when he isn’t it seems to be affecting him. What if we are too late?” The Seeker asks raising her fears to the Mage “I have it here..” She adds reaching into her pocket for the leather pouch that contains the vial. “Be careful” Cassandra whispers receiving a chuckle from Daniel, he was by far the most powerful Mage she had ever met so he obviously didn’t feel her warning was necessary. She watches at he reaches into his coat, pulling out a small concealed blade.  
  
“Scary blood Mage, remember?” Daniel gives her a crooked smile before focusing on the pouch in her palm, she sees him carefully untie the cords with his fingers before using the knife to lift the vial from its holder. Cassandra glances over to the Inquisitor when she hears him groan. “This is incredibly powerful magic” Daniel whispers matching her look at Lord Trevelyan who appears to be in some pain when the vial is anywhere near him, even though he is some way away from them. “Where did you get this?” He asks drawing it closer to his face so he can inspect it.  
  
“An elven Mage called Solas, he gave it to the Inquisitor as a Birthday gift but when he touched it against his hand it did something to him” Lady Pentaghast moves her eyes to the vial that he holds up, noticing that the blood that is always trying to direct itself towards whoever is holding it, is now trying to escape from Daniel’s touch.  
  
“Interesting.. I’ve never seen anything quite like this before” Daniel mumbles giving the vial a little shake causing the blood to split and begin thrashing angrily behind the glass. Cassandra sighs and drops her eyes believing he didn’t know how to help them after all. “That’s not to say I don’t know what it is or how to deal with it.. This is very dangerous, Lady Pentaghast. The effect this vial has on Ashton is nothing compared to what it would do to you if you touched it. This is very dark blood magic..” He whispers drawing his eyes to her again. “I believe I know how to deal with this, but you aren’t going to like it” Daniel gives her another smile to settle her sudden fear.  
  
“What is that thing anyway?” Lady Pentaghast asks as she watches him tap his finger against the bottle making it sway again.  
  
“This is what we like to call a Life and Blood Bond.. If you want Ashton to live, you are going to have to die” Daniel replies fixing his blue eyes on her again when she feels the colour drain from her face.


	20. Jealousy

Cassandra could feel him enter the room before she even saw him, she didn’t know if it was the connection she felt between them that was making it that way or if it was the way that the vial thrummed in her pocket wanting to be around the Inquisitor’s neck. Whatever it was, if it was love or evil, she knew he was lurking somewhere in the shadows and that he had his eyes set on her from across the room like an animal stalking her. The atmosphere changed as soon as he arrived, she could feel people begin whispering nervously and directing their eyes in the Inquisitors direction as soon as he set foot into the hall. People were scared and the air was thick with their fear, they had seen his rage and they had seen him try to tear the Chantry apart after he had set eyes on his Brother. He is just tired and overcome with grief, his Mother had sobbed trying to excuse her son’s actions and returning everyone’s attention away from Ashton Trevelyan’s outburst and back to Henry Trevelyan and his funeral. The Seeker had managed to speak to Daniel and enlisted his help to remove the dark magic from the Inquisitor but the method that he had told her was the only way, terrified her. Lord Trevelyan had stormed back to his room in the Trevelyan estate after being humiliated and subdued by Daniel and no one had seen him since. By the time everyone had been gathered back at the house to share in some drinks and their memories of Henry, The Inquisitor’s rage had almost been completely forgotten. Cassandra had watched Lady Annabelle excuse herself and the children from the wake, assuring people that she was fine but needed to let them get some rest.  
  
“He’s here isn’t he?” Lady Pentaghast whispers as quietly as she can leaning towards the Commander, who stands with her in the corner, her back to the door hoping it would take longer for her lover to spot her. Cassandra watches Cullen glance up, looking past her and at the Inquisitor who continues to fix his eyes in her direction.  
  
“Yes” Cullen whispers, swallowing down his own anxious feelings when he sees Lord Trevelyan. The Seeker closes her eyes for a moment when she sees that even her friend and protector is looking worried, the vial was in her pocket and still it had taken him. Lady Pentaghast watches as Cullen reaches to take two glasses from a tray that is being directed around the room by a server, he holds one out to her before bringing the other to his lips drinking deeply. Cullen knew she couldn’t drink so she was unsure why he had picked up two.  
  
“You are making me nervous” The Seeker hisses at him when she feels him take her glass too, downing that as he has done his own. “I need you with a clear head if this is going to work” She adds looking into his face, anxious amber eyes look back at her.  
  
“So all we have to do is make him really angry? Then Daniel will destroy the vial?” The Commander asks leaning closer to her, Cassandra nods trying to reassure him. “That’s all we have to do?” He asks again glancing around the room at the small groups of people that are talking and enjoying each others company.  
  
“Yes, that’s all” Cassandra huffs. It wasn’t all at all, not even close. But she couldn’t tell the Commander her and Daniel’s real plan; she needed Cullen’s reactions and feelings to be real and raw. If they had told him the whole plan he would have refused to help them and refused to get involved, that would mean the end for the Inquisitor if Daniel was right about his fate. “I need some air..” The Seeker sighs thinking how stuffy and airless it is in the hall. She figured it was because all of the thick drapes that had been pulled around the room, making it darker so that they could light candles around the place.  
  
“Do you want me to come with you?” Cullen asks quickly drinking the last drops from his glass, he places it down on the mantle of the fireplace showing her that he has finished his drink and happy to tag along.  
  
“No, you stay here. I’ll only be a moment. Just keep an eye on him” Lady Pentaghast nods in the rough direction of the Inquisitor giving the Commander a reassuring smile, she steps onto her tip toes and leans in to place a kiss on his cheek making him blush beneath her mouth. “Make sure you know where he is” Cassandra adds as she steps away from Cullen and makes her way around the edge of the hall. She knew Lord Trevelyan would be watching her like a hawk and would intercept her, whichever door she exited through.  
  
“Where are you going?” Cassandra hears Lord Trevelyan’s voice behind her as she walks down the hallway towards the family dining room; she ignores him for a moment continuing to walk. The Seeker feels her heart begin to thump hard against her chest when she feels how quickly he moves to catch up with her. “I said where are you going, Cassandra” The Inquisitor stops in his tracks when she suddenly turns to face him.  
  
“To clear my head” Lady Pentaghast replies gasping when Lord Trevelyan suddenly steps into her space, his hands moving to her waist as he backs her into the closed door as he tries to cover as much of her body with his as he can. “What are you doing?” Cassandra whispers letting her eyes move to his lips that he brings dangerously close to hers until she can feel his breath on her mouth. She feels the vial vibrating between their bodies when he presses against her, the blood magic reacting to his close proximity and the feelings it is feeding off of.  
  
“Taking what is mine” The Inquisitor replies making Cassandra roll her eyes, this Inquisitor had no idea how to woo a lady but she had to get him riled up and the adrenaline running through his veins if their plan was to work. He was already angry but they needed him to be out of control with primal instincts. Lady Pentaghast bites her lip again when she watches a smirk tug at his mouth. He wasn’t her Inquisitor but he was still hot blood and flesh beneath her hands that she rests on his chest, and his body was as demanding as it always was for her to touch him.  
  
“I’m not yours to take” The Seeker replies leaning her head forward to brush her lips gently against his open mouth, which draws a growl from him. She feels him wrap his hand around hers guiding it down his body to the place he was desperate for her to touch. Cassandra meets his eyes with hers, disappointed that the look of lust is the only familiar thing she sees. “So eager for me already, Lord Trevelyan?” Lady Pentaghast coos at him when she places her hand against the front of his breeches making him groan and drop his head.  
  
“You’ll need to do something about that” Lord Trevelyan groans again when she flattens her palm against him, Cassandra presses her mouth against his ear when she feels him arch his back at her touch. The Seeker watches him place his hands either side of her head, trapping her further with his body. He lifts his head as he drops his eyes to her lips before he leans forward to crush his mouth against hers possessively. The Inquisitor had obviously seen her kiss Cullen’s cheek and the vial was making him jealous.  
  
The Seeker hears herself moan when he teases her tongue with his, berating herself for even allowing such noises to escape her. The Inquisitor that was so enthusiastically kissing her wasn’t Ashton, it was just a manifestation of his rage and his lust for her.. But his mouth felt the same and the way he was trying to undress her with such haste was too familiar. Cassandra watches him pull back from her so that he can begin shedding his own clothes, he slowly undoes his shirt not removing his eyes from her.  
  
“If you aren’t mine why does your body say otherwise?” Lord Trevelyan licks his bottom lip giving her a smile when she drops her eyes to his hands; he tugs his shirt off quickly pressing himself against her again. He tangles his fingers in her hair directing her mouth to his again kissing her with such urgency The Seeker feels her legs are going to give out on her. Cassandra feels him groan against her mouth again when she places her hands on his hips rocking his body into hers, he moves his mouth to her neck panting against her skin.  
  
“Inquisitor” Lady Pentaghast sighs and closes her eyes trying to remember that it isn’t her lover that she is letting get dangerously close to her. “We should finish this later.. Your guests will be wondering where you are” Cassandra adds when he takes both of her hands in his moving them to hold above her head so he can continue to kiss her throat. She feels him slip a leg between hers when he presses his body flush against her again, his hands moving back to slide beneath her own blouse.  
  
“Not later, now” The Inquisitor huffs against her skin again making her close her eyes; she moves her arms down to run her hands through his hair. She loved this man and would usually be very encouraging of his intentions, but he wasn’t her Inquisitor. He wouldn’t remember this when the rage was lifted and he wouldn’t appreciate the knowledge that he could have hurt her when she put herself into this situation. The Seeker closes her eyes again trying to ignore his demanding hands and mouth trying to remind herself that she wasn’t being touched by Ashton, Daniel better be right that this would work.

“Only if we go upstairs” Cassandra whispers letting her fingers rest on the back of his neck. “Lets go upstairs, Inquisitor” The Seeker cries out quietly when he sinks his teeth into her shoulder. “Don’t you want to please me?” Lady Pentaghast coos at him again trying to distract him from her throat with his mouth if he was intending on biting her again, a bit too hard for her liking. She feels him huff when she moves her hands to his bare shoulders, he lifts his head to fix his eyes on her.

“Of course” Lord Trevelyan replies flatly with not much enthusiasm, the rage and lust behind his eyes told her that his last thought was about pleasing her and more about fulfilling his most basic need for her body. Cassandra nods her head relieved that she has managed to convince him that in the hallway in his parents estate is not the best place to be conducting such things.

“Lets go..” The Seeker whispers to him letting him watch as she bites her bottom lip, she forces his body away from her with her shoulder so she can move from beneath him. Lady Pentaghast holds her hand out to him as she meets his eyes with her, she sees him look down at her hand as if it is the most unusual concept he has ever seen. Cassandra hoped he wasn’t about to throw her over his shoulder and carry her off to his bedroom like a savage Avvar. “Fine, no hand holding. I get it.. Now let us go before I can no longer control myself around you” Lady Pentaghast replies sarcastically trying to ignore her want to trail his eyes over his chest.  
  
The Seeker huffs slightly when he approaches her trying to be as close to her as he can and touch her, she holds her hand up stopping his movements. He moves to slip his hands around her waist that she bats away, placing her hand on his chest pushing him back from her.  
  
“I will restrain those hands If I have to..” Cassandra gives him a little pretend giggle when she sees him smile, okay so maybe he liked the idea of a bit of restraining. She would have to remember that for future reference. The Seeker grabs hold of his wrist when he tries to place his hands on her again, seeing that he wasn’t going to listen to her warning and wasn’t going to cooperate as easily as he could. The Seeker drags his arm around as she ducks under it, pulling his arm behind him so that it is held firmly in the middle of his back. Lady Pentaghast feels him struggle with not much vigour; they both knew he was much stronger than her but his body was still hurting from his attack. He stops struggling when she lifts his hand higher to put pressure on his shoulders but not enough to cause him pain. “Behave yourself, Lord Trevelyan at least until we get upstairs” Lady Pentaghast smiles when he groans when she slides her other hand down his stomach.

The Seeker leans her body into his back pushing him forward to walk down the hallway; she wondered what a state they looked to be in. Her lover, in a state of undress and flushed, his arm pinned behind his back and being forced upstairs by Cassandra. She huffs with effort of moving his mass with her own body, not realising until now that he was usually moving with her not against her. The Seeker lifts his arm for good measure to remind him he can’t struggle free.  
  
“Viper” The Inquisitor spits at her when she shoves him forward as he starts to become more cooperative and shuffle his feet along the ground, he’d clearly found a new name that he was intent on calling her when he was in this state. “I’m the Inquisitor, you shouldn’t be handling me like this” He huffs as they begin to move past the doors of the dining room where the mourners are gathered.  
  
“I’ve never heard you complain before” Cassandra laughs placing her other hand on his shoulder so she can get a good grip on him. When they have almost past the dining room, Cassandra quickly takes hold of the handle pushing the door open. Before he can even realise what she is doing The Seeker shoves Lord Trevelyan into the dining room and into the crowd of people behind the door. Lady Pentaghast slams the door shut behind him, locking it with the key so he can’t escape. She hears him shouting and the people he was interrupted all shrieking and raising their voices in surprise when a half naked Inquisitor falls through the door almost knocking them over. Cassandra hears his fists connecting with the door when she begins shouting her name. One Inquisitor successfully filled with lust and locked in the dining room.  
  
“I’m sorry, the door wont open” Cassandra giggles when she hears him cursing her and everyone around him when they begin questioning if he is okay, The Seeker knows that will slow him down long enough to get back to the Commander and instigate part two of the plan. Cassandra knows that she only has a matter of minutes before he abandons trying to get out of this door and moves onto the next one.  
  
“Thank the Maker, you are okay..” The Commander sighs when he has watches her slip back into the dining room through the other door and run around the edge of the room and back to where he is waiting for her. “What did you do to the Inquisitor?” Cullen asks looking at her face and then back to Lord Trevelyan that still bangs angrily on the door, ignoring the people around him trying to calm him down when he begins trying to pull the handle clear off the wood.

“Has he seen me yet?” The Seeker asks hurriedly, she watches Cullen look at her with concern before glancing back at Lord Trevelyan who has finished banging on the door and has glanced over his shoulder to see that she is back in the room with Cullen. The Commander nods his head slowly when he watches the Inquisitor’s eyes lock on her, the anger at her tricking him clearly on his face when he turns to face them.  
  
“He doesn’t look happy” The Commander whispers “Seriously angry” He adds glancing over the top of Cassandra’s head to look to the Inquisitor. “Is he angry enough to destroy the vial yet? Where is Daniel?” Cullen hisses leaning his head towards The Seeker so their conversation is more private, while keeping his eyes on his friend in case he decides to bolt towards them.  
  
“So many questions Commander,” Cassandra smiles at him only to receive a small but nervous smile from her friend in return. “Daniel is outside waiting for us..” She adds trying to fight the urge to look over her shoulder to see if Lord Trevelyan is really as angry as Cullen is telling her.  
  
“What do we do now?” He asks again when Cassandra drops her eyes to the floor for a moment trying to gather the courage to continue with the plan she and Daniel have come up with. She was risking Cullen as well as herself. “Cass, he has the vial” The Commander hisses when he spots the glass bottle clutched in the Inquisitor’s hand.

“What?” The Seeker replies frowning, her hand moving to pat her pockets where she had been keeping the vial safe and out of the Inquisitor’s hands. It had been humming aggressively when he had been touching her but she had failed to notice it was missing and he had clearly pickpocketed her in the hallway.  
  
“This is bad” Cullen whispers when Cassandra lets herself have one quick look at Lord Trevelyan. She watches him wrap the leather around his neck again, the vial settling flat against his chest. The Seeker quickly turns back to Cullen, suddenly feeling afraid that this plan wasn’t going to work and she was going to end up losing both of them. “This is really bad” He adds his eyes moving to her hands that she places on his hips in an action that makes him look at her, trying to understand her touch.  
  
“Do you trust me?” Cassandra asks when she meets her eyes with his; the warm comforting amber looks back at her but she cant help but notice the concern that is there too. “Cull, do you trust me?” The Seeker asks again trying to hurry an answer out of him when she notices his eyes have gone back to her hands at his waist. She wasn’t sure how much time they had before the Inquisitor interrupted the pair.  
  
“With my life” The Commander gives her a nod searching her face again trying to understand what she is going to ask him to do. Lady Pentaghast sighs; she wished this wasn’t the easiest way to bring out the true rage in Lord Trevelyan. She wished there was another way that she could fuel his jealousy and possessive streak than what she was going to ask of Cullen. “What is it?” Cullen asks noticing her resolve wavering when she moves her hands to his chest, spreading her fingers into a fan against his shirt.  
  
“You have to kiss me” The Seeker whispers fixing her eyes into his. “It’s the only way” She turns her head away feeling ashamed when she sees that he looks shocked at her request and then hurt, she knew it was unfair of her to even ask him to agree to their plan.  
  
“You would ask that of me, even when you know my feelings for you?” The Commander asks directing his own eyes to the Inquisitor who is watching their every move. “You know I would do anything for you” Cullen adds, raising his hand to place a finger beneath her chin, directing her face back to look at him. “Anything” He sighs before she watches him moisten his suddenly dry lips with his tongue.  
  
“If there was another way..” Lady Pentaghast huffs quietly still feeling guilty for her request and feeling uncomfortable looking at him. She sees him just nod as he bites on his bottom lip, having his own battle over whether this is a good idea or not. Cassandra feels his hand move to take hers in his when he finally sets her eyes on his. “I don’t want to hurt you” Cassandra whispers seeing him smile lightly.  
  
“Daniel is waiting outside for us?” He whispers linking his fingers through hers. “Please don’t put yourself at risk.. If he gets angry enough to end this, I want you to keep out of his way” He adds as Cassandra nods, she knew that wouldn’t be the case. If they wanted the Life and Blood Bond to be broken she was going to have to be at risk to the extent that she would be killed. Daniel had told her that the only way to break to vial’s hold the Inquisitor was to use the contents, that meant someone had to die.  
  
“No one needs to see us but Ashton” The Seeker nods, she knew that as soon as they moved out of the room he would be following them so they wouldn’t need to draw anymore attention to themselves, especially not in front of family and friends. His possessive feelings over her would compel him to not let The Commander and The Seeker out of his sight and his jealousy would make him fume.

“You owe me” Lady Pentaghast sees him nod with a small smile, she could see he wasn’t convinced that this was a good idea or that it felt right for him to be agreeing to this especially when he was already struggling with his feelings for her. “You’ll owe me so much that I’m going to remind you of this next time I want something” The Commander looks to her giving her a reassuring smile that he was okay. “You wont be able to say no..” Cullen moves his arm around her pulling her into his arms letting her rest her head against his chest.  
  
“I think we should discuss these terms” Cassandra sighs feeling him hold her in a tight embrace, she lets him rest his head on top of hers when she smoothes her hands down his back. The Seeker knew that Lord Trevelyan would be watching their exchange and his temper wouldn’t be kept at bay for much longer.

“Maybe when we get home” The Commander smiles as he gently brushes his mouth against the top of her head, she sighs and closes her eyes trying to fend off the feeling of guilt and sadness that she is treating him so badly after all the times he has protected and cared for her. “Lets get some air Lady Pentaghast” Cullen whispers slowly removing his arms from around her; he holds his hand out to her again offering his palm to guide her outside with him.


	21. The End

Lady Pentaghast tries to swallow down the large lump that she feels forming in her throat and tries to concentrate on the warm hand of Cullen that she feels wrapped tightly around hers. She feels him slip his fingers through hers again in an action that is too intimate for friends and that makes her stomach knot, she was going to be betraying both the men that loved her and was lying to the one that currently clung to her so tightly. Her protector, her best friend and her Knight in Shining Armour had no idea what was about to happen and no idea that he had agreed to enrage the Inquisitor to the point that he would try and kill her. The Seeker had to lie to The Commander, had to tell him that Daniel’s plan just involved destroying the vial when the Inquisitor was at his most vulnerable. She had to convince him that Lord Trevelyan had to be blinded with rage so that they could end the curse that held him and shatter the glass. Little did Commander Rutherford know, the only way to lift the Blood Magic’s influence on the Inquisitor was to use the power contained in the bottle. She was going to have to die at his hands in order to have him unleash the Life Bond from its confines of the vial around his throat.  
  
The Seeker concentrates on the sound of his boots as he walks beside her, the steady pace of his soles hitting the stone giving her something to match her breath to so she remembers to release it. The man at her side loved her. Truly loved her and was willing to do anything for her, even if the end outcome was that Lord Trevelyan was returned to her and she would no longer be holding his hand like this and would be back with her true love. Cullen would sacrifice his own feelings to help her, he just didn’t realise what she was willing to sacrifice for the Inquisitor. Lady Pentaghast watches as he reaches his hand out to push the front door of the Trevelyan’s home open, he places his hand high on the wood so she can step through it under his arm as he draws her through with the hand that he holds.  
  
“I wont let him hurt you” The Commander mumbles when he notices the worried look in her eyes when she nods a thanks to him for holding the door, she sees him glance back into the house sure that he has seen Lord Trevelyan not far behind them. Cassandra sees his eyes move back to hers again seeing another flash of doubt, she hoped she wouldn’t have to see his face when their real plan was finally revealed to him. The Seeker didn’t want to see his heart break before the world went dark.  
  
“I know” Lady Pentaghast nods biting her bottom lip slightly, she feels The Commander drop her hand as he steps out into the yard of the Trevelyan estate looking around him to check that they are alone. “Cullen, I want you to know that whatever happens..” Cassandra begins watching him do a quick sweep around the area as if he is involved in a military operation and he is trying to secure the area.

“What do you mean, whatever happens?” Cullen asks with a frown walking over to the low stonewall running the edge of the steps, he peers over the edge of it before looking back to her when he is sure they are safe. Cassandra sighs when she sees him placing his hands on his hips waiting for answers she doesn’t want to give him, she lets her own eyes trail around the grounds wondering where Daniel has concealed himself and whether he is watching them.  
  
“I want you to know how much you mean to me” The Seeker whispers looking to The Commander again when she sees that he is distracted when he sees someone move in the hallway inside.  
  
“Come here” Cullen whispers, motioning for her to move away from the house and to join him on the paved patio at the front of the house, pretending that he isn’t trying to just get her away from the door and Lord Trevelyan that he is sure hides there. Cassandra hurries to him trying to listen for any tell tale sign that the Inquisitor is watching them but can only hear the sound of talking and people laughing lightly coming from inside the house. “He’s there.. No more talking” The Commander whispers lowering his voice so only she can hear him, he brings his finger to his lips indicating she should keep quiet.

“Finally we are on our own” Lady Pentaghast replies raising her voice hoping that her words are reaching her lover. She feels herself cringe at her words when she looks at Cullen watching him smile and shake his head at her over acting.  
  
“I said stop talking” The Commander whispers suddenly looking nervous when he moves to place his hands on her waist. “We still have time to change the plan” He adds drawing her closer to him until she can feel the warmth of him suddenly engulfing her. “This is a really bad idea” Cullen whispers when Cassandra watches his eyes drop to her mouth again and sees his adams apple bob with his nerves, he was acting like this was going to be more than just a way to make Lord Trevelyan jealous.  
  
“Kiss me” The Seeker whispers meeting his eyes when he looks back to her, he loved her and she could see it all over his face that she was about to cross the line they had drawn and break his heart. “Just do it..” Cassandra feels her breath catch when he drags her closer still until she is flush against him, his large frame suddenly covering hers. He places his hands on her cheeks rubbing his thumbs against her skin as if it is all he has wanted to do his entire life when he gazes at her.  
  
“What if this changes everything?” The Commander sighs as he closes his eyes for a moment. The Seeker feels him hesitate so places her hands on his shoulders before letting them slip down his sides. Cassandra notices how different his hands feel to Lord Trevelyan’s, she can feel the rough callouses on his fingers that she knows only warriors like the pair of them would have.  
  
“It can’t change anything” Lady Pentaghast gives him a reassuring smiles as lets her hands trail over his back feeling the hard muscle beneath his shirt; she had seen The Commander in various states of undress before during sparing, armour fittings and down time and of course she had noticed that he was in very fine physical shape, but she had never let her hands wonder over him before like she was now. She felt guilty, she loved the Inquisitor and she was placing her hands on another man. Cassandra moves her hands to rest at his waist when he wraps one arm around her body, the other still cupping her face to direct her eyes to his. The Seeker feels herself freeze under his touch knowing that she wasn’t giving a very convincing performance of someone that was desperate to be touched and kissed by him.

“Relax..” Cullen smiles again looking just as nervous as her but for a completely different reason. She nods and tries to return his smile but he dips his head to press his lips against hers in the softest of kisses The Seeker is sure she has ever experienced. He had kissed her before, the night that he had almost gotten the Inquisitor killed when he was suffering during a lyrium withdrawal, but this was different. This was tender and gentle and full of his love for her, even though he was kissing her because she had asked him to, she knew his heart was in it. “That wasn’t so bad was it?” The Commander whispers as he removes his lips from hers giving her a smirk.  
  
“Not so bad” Lady Pentaghast smiles biting her lip slightly, the feeling of his soft mouth still on hers. She feels him move both arms around her body when he leans down to capture her mouth with his with more force than he had previously kissed her with. She was sure the Commander could have stopped at their first kiss, sure that Lord Trevelyan would have been raging just at his gentle touch of his mouth on hers. The Seeker slides her arms around his neck when she feels him place his hands on her shoulder blades trying to have closer contact with her, she knew they would have Lord Trevelyan’s full attention by now with their actions and she hoped that when this was over, he wouldn’t remember what he had seen.   
  
“I wish you’d picked me” Cassandra hears Cullen mumble against her lips when he moves his hand to her hair, tangling the strands between his fingers as if he is desperate to continue kissing her and have every part of him wrapped around her. The Seeker closes her eyes wondering if they would ever be able to return to being friends again after she had allowed him to kiss her like this and had let him glimpse into how it would be if he could have her for himself instead of seeing her with Lord Trevelyan, if she had ever chosen him instead of the Inquisitor. He was her closest friend and she couldn’t stand to think that this was going to ruin everything they had worked hard to build between them.

Lady Pentaghast feels herself almost unbalance if it wasn’t for his tight grip on her when he presses his now demanding mouth against hers, she bites back a cry of surprise against his lips when he traces the tip of his tongue along the line of her mouth. The Seeker steps onto her toes to meet him, returning his kiss with just as much enthusiasm that he is showing her, forgetting herself for a moment and getting lost in his lips. She notices the sweet aniseed taste of his tongue from the drink he’d been glugging to try and calm his nerves and the way that his hands are sliding over every part of her he can reach. She feels him place his hands on her face again clearly forgetting that the whole point of kissing her was not to satisfy he own wants. Cassandra berates herself, what was she thinking letting herself get caught up in the Commander.   
  
“I trusted you!” The Seeker hears Lord Trevelyan roar when he has obviously seen enough of The Commander’s roaming hands and mouth on her. “This is how you repay me?” The Inquisitor shouts when Lady Pentaghast feels Cullen quickly let go of her, glancing over his shoulder when he sees that he has finally decided to interrupt them and he looks furious. Cassandra feels her lovers eyes move to her when The Commander turns to face Lord Trevelyan keeping his body firmly in front of her trying to protect her from him. She watches him step out of the door way and into the yard to join them, the vial against his chest glowing brightly being fuelled by his rage. She sees his eyes narrow when he notices the flush on her face and the glassy trace of lust in Cullen’s eyes and on his face.  
  
“Inquisitor” The Commander begins reaching behind him to place a hand on Cassandra’s leg trying to keep her behind his body and away from Lord Trevelyan. “This isn’t what it looks like..” Cullen croaks seeing The Inquisitor’s eyes leave Lady Pentaghast and glare angrily at him, his eyes dropping to his hand on his Seeker.  
  
“Take your hands off of her, dog” Lord Trevelyan spits as he steps one more pace closer to them. “I trusted you” He says again when she notices that his eyes are still set on The Commander and his anger is mainly directed at him and not her. The whole point of their plan and to have him see them together had been to have his rage focused on her and it wasn’t working.  
  
“I want his hands on me” The Seeker shouts feeling Cullen grip her thigh beneath his palm trying to tell her to keep her mouth shut when he sees a flash of fury behind the Inquisitor’s eyes. She sees Lord Trevelyan snap his eyes to her face, frowning at her words when she hears Cullen shushing her. “I asked him to come outside with me so we could be together. I am the one that betrayed you, not Cullen. I wanted him and begged him to take me to his bed long before I even met you” Cassandra continues trying to ignore The Commander who quickly scoops her up in his arms trying to place his hand over her mouth.  
  
“Stop” Cullen hisses as she wriggles away from his hand, pleading with her with his eyes. “Please don’t do this” He adds when she pulls herself free from his hold. “He is angry enough” Cassandra feels him take hold of her hand trying to stop her when she steps out from behind him.  
  
“He needs to know the truth, Commander” The Seeker shakes her head and glances at him with an apology in her eyes, she pulls her hand away approaching Lord Trevelyan. “Does it upset that this has been going on under your nose and you didn’t even notice?” Cassandra laughs when she sees the Inquisitor narrow his eyes at her, it was working and he was completely focused on her now, but she had never felt more terrible about the words coming from her own mouth. “Does it upset you that I’m his? Does it hurt to know that we love each other? Does it make you angry to know how much he satisfies me more than you ever could?” Lady Pentaghast adds watching Lord Trevelyan huff at her words.  
  
“It’s not true, Inquisitor” Cassandra hears The Commander moving to her again, trying to get in between her and Lord Trevelyan before a flash of magic binds him in his place. “No!” Cullen cries struggling against the invisible restraints that hold him when he sees Lord Trevelyan stalking ever closer to Lady Pentaghast. “It was my fault, not hers. Don’t hurt her.. She loves you, not me” Lord Rutherford pleads thrashing against Daniel’s magic trying to free himself. “Daniel let me go, he’s going to hurt her” Cullen growls continuing to struggle even though he knows he can’t break free.   
  
“He is twice the man you could ever be” Lady Pentaghast continues hearing another animalistic growl from the Inquisitor at her words. If she couldn’t see that his hatred was now solely directed at her, she could see the vial pulsing angrily at his neck. “You are pathetic” Cassandra laughs again seeing that the more she pokes at him, the more he is losing control of his temper. She watches him snort at her as he begins clenching his fists at his side, The Seeker falters suddenly realising that she was pushing him to breaking point and the thought of what he was going to do terrified her.  
  
“Please don’t hurt her” Cullen cries as Cassandra looks over to her protector seeing the pain on his face when he sees that she is in trouble, getting dangerously close to Lord Trevelyan and that Daniel has left him powerless to do anything about it.  
  
“Quiet” The Inquisitor snarls at The Commander having heard enough of his pleading. “I will deal with you later” He growls as Lady Pentaghast watches the Inquisitor reach for a concealed blade that he had been hiding him at his waist. The Seeker hears Cullen start thrashing again when he sees that Lord Trevelyan is armed, she hears him shouting at the Inquisitor that it was his fault and to face him like a man and to leave her alone, but her eyes are too busy focusing on the highly polished metal of his knife.  
  
“I told him to find you out on the road.. I was the one that sent The Commander after you. I told him that if he killed you, we would finally get to be together. I told him that once you were dead he would be Inquisitor and it would be his bed I was sharing every night.. I sent Cullen to kill you..” Lady Pentaghast feels her breath catch when he is suddenly close to her, his eyes fixed on hers filled with hate. She glances down at the hand that he grips the knife tightly in before looking back into his face, no recognition or sign of her Inquisitor but the man in front of her wanted to punish her for her words. “I wanted you dead” Cassandra spits at him trying to ignore The Commander’s begging behind them. “Murderer” The Seeker tries to keep her voice even when she sees the lust for her blood behind his eyes.  
  
“Ashton, please” Cullen pleads again as he stops struggling against the magic, his body tired from the effort. “Remember who you are.. I’m begging you, don’t hurt her” He shouts when Cassandra hears his invisible chains falling away and letting him free, she hears him stumble at the sudden lack of magic holding him up.  
  
“This is the only way.. She has to die” Lady Pentaghast hears Daniel sigh when she feels that he has appeared at the Commander’s side behind her, she allows herself a quick look behind her seeing that although Daniel has removed the magic that was binding Cullen, he is stopping him from charging forward and rescuing her. Cassandra looks into Cullen’s face when he realises that they have all tricked him and that this was their plan all along. Daniel wasn’t just going to destroy the vial when the Inquisitor was angry, they were trying to make him kill her to remove the magic from Lord Trevelyan.  
  
“Cassandra, no” The Commander sobs as Daniel places both of his hands on his shoulders keeping him in place, The Seeker looks back to Lord Trevelyan when she feels him rest the sharp edge of the blade against her thigh.  
  
“Keep them back, Daniel!” Cassandra chokes when she sees that Lord and Lady Trevelyan have appeared at the door after hearing the shouting out in the courtyard. She sets her eyes on their worried expressions when they see their son, the Inquisitor, with a knife in his hand that he slowly lifts to her throat. “Don’t let them see” She sobs feeling him move the blade to the soft skin beneath her chin.  
  
“Ashton” Lady Trevelyan sobs, not gaining any reaction from her son. Daniel raises his hand in their direction creating a solid magic barricade keeping them inside their home and away from the danger before turning his attention to keeping Cullen away. Cassandra hears The Commander shouting again, begging Daniel to do something and find another way to free the Inquisitor.  
  
“You better kill me before I kill you” Lady Pentaghast sobs feeling the tears begin to fall when she looks at Lord Trevelyan and sees nothing but hatred for her. “Kill me” Cassandra whispers feeling him press the blade harder causing a small bead of blood to appear, she turns her head away not wanting to look at him when he takes her life. She feels his hand falter wondering if there is any part of him left that the vial hasn’t affected, any part of him left that is fighting against his urge to kill her.  
  
“Kill me instead” Cullen shouts forcing her to divert her eyes, her thoughts immediately going to her friend and her regret of hurting him like this. She wished she had been kinder to him and not involved him at all, she wished she had left him inside the dining room and that he wasn’t going to have to watch her fall. “Take me instead, Inquisitor” The Commander shouts as Cassandra sobs again when she looks into Lord Trevelyan’s eyes, most of all she wished she could see her Inquisitors smile one more time, her real Inquisitor.   
  
“I love you Ashton” The Seeker chokes closing her eyes tight so she can’t see anything but black. Cassandra tries to block out the crying and screaming she can hear from the house, from the family that had taken her in as their own and that had shown her so much love. She screws her eyes even tighter when she hears The Commander sobbing behind them, his wails making her cry even harder when she is sure she can hear his heart breaking.  
  
“I love you” Lord Trevelyan mumbles forcing her to open her eyes at his words, her eyes desperately searching for anything in his face that would show her that he is still inside and is fighting against the blood magic. The Seeker lets out a shaky sob as she feels him lower the blade from her throat, convinced that he was remembering her and is realising what he is about to do. “If I can’t have you, then no one will” The Inquisitor hisses through gritted teeth when he leans his head close to hers, he suddenly draws his hand back and plunges the sharp end of his blade up, at an angle and through her body.  
  
The Seeker feels her eyes widen in surprise when she realises that he has stabbed her, she feels her breath catch in her throat when the air is forced out of her because of the strength that he has placed behind the knife that he has entered beneath her ribs. Cassandra hears his mother scream and a loud cry of her name from her Commander but suddenly all she can hear is the pounding of the blood rushing between her ears as the pain engulfs her. The Seeker had been stabbed many times before, it came as part of the job, but this was a fatal blow and this was making her legs buckle beneath her.  
  
“Ash..” The Seeker feels the words tumble from her mouth in the hopes that it will bring him back to her, she feels him wrap his arm around her body supporting her weight when her legs begin to give out. “Cullen” Cassandra sobs when she can hear him wailing again and struggling to get away from Daniel, she hears the anguish in his voice and knows that his emotions are real and that he has no idea what he is going to do without her. The Seeker drops her hands to place over the Inquisitor’s that still grip the handle of the blade that he has driven into her; she feels the warm spreading between her fingers that she knows is her blood. Lady Pentaghast groans when she feels him pull his hand back removing the knife, causing even more pain at the loss of its razor sharp edge. Daniel had told her that it would hurt but he had promised her that they would be able to use the vial to save her, but when Cassandra glances to the Mage she sees that he is too busy trying to control Cullen to help her.  
  
Lady Pentaghast cries out when she feels the Inquisitor let go of her, letting her drop to the floor at his feet. She squeezes her eyes closed trying to fight another cry of pain when she clutches the wound he has given her, feeling the blood soaking quickly through her clothes and onto her hands. She looks up at Lord Trevelyan who has moved on from any interest he had previously had in her and begins to walk away, she watches him wipe the blade on his breeches before returning it to its sheath at his hip.  
  
“Cass” Lady Pentaghast hears his voice before she even feels him running to her, Daniel finally letting The Commander go to her when they have watched Lord Trevelyan leave her on the ground. “It’s okay” Cullen sobs making The Seeker smile lightly, he was such a good friend. She feels him drop to his knees at her side, scooping her up in his arms even when he sees the pain shoot through her at his touch. “You are going to be okay,” The Commander whispers quickly as he draws her closer to him, beginning to rock her trying to comfort her. Cassandra sighs remembering the moment she had seen the Inquisitor cradling the spy much like this in the courtyard of Skyhold, they all knew he was going to die and she was sure Cullen knew she was too.  
  
“It isn’t his fault” The Seeker sighs again when she feels The Commander place his hand over hers trying to stop the bleeding, she watches him look up to see that Lord Trevelyan hasn’t even noticed what he has done and is trying to get back into the house. “Cullen, this isn’t Ashton’s fault.. It’s the vial, it’s not his fault” She sobs when she sees him look down into her face, his grief and sadness spilling onto his own cheeks. She closes her eyes for a moment starting to feel like she was losing feeling in her body. The Seeker feels his hands on her cheek, his fingers stroking her skin and brushing her hair back as he cries.  
  
“I love you” Cullen whispers as he leans forward to press his mouth against her forehead. “Please don’t leave me” He adds letting Cassandra place her hand on his face trying to bring him some comfort. This wasn’t how she had ever imagined her death; she had once hoped that she would die a warrior’s death, while on the battlefield fighting for a good cause. More recently she had hoped she would die as a very old lady in her sleep, after spending a very long and happy life at her Inquisitors side. Never did she imagine she would die at his hand and not even have him to hold her in her last moments. Cassandra lets her body relax in Cullen’s arms when she feels her eyes close again, hearing his sobbing as he drags her limp body against his.  
  
“Commander Rutherford, we need the vial” Daniel whispers as he slowly crouches down next to The Commander, his eyes watching the blonde man cling to Cassandra’s body as if he is afraid she will be taken from his arms. “We have to destroy it” The Mage adds feeling guilty for interrupting the man’s grief when he watches him smooth his hand over her hair and close her eyes with his fingertips. Daniel tries to divert his eyes when he watches The Commander press his mouth against the Seekers forehead.  
  
“You made her do this” The Commander chokes as he gently lowers Lady Pentaghast to the ground, he removes his hand from her side when he knows that he has felt the last of her life drain from her body and that he isn’t going to be able to stop her bleeding. Cullen takes hold of her hand, holding it tightly in his not wanting to let go of her and ignoring the dark red that stains both of their skin.  
  
“There was no other way..” Daniel sighs looking at Cullen, he had no idea that the Commander’s feelings for her were so strong and that he would have to watch him fall apart in front of him. “Cassandra wanted to save my brother” Daniel begins hearing The Commander scoff at his words. “She knew what she had to do, the sacrifice she had to make. But we need to finish this, we need to destroy that bottle and free him from its influence” Daniel adds placing his hand on Cullen’s shoulder.  


“I don’t care about the vial” Cullen huffs as he leans over her again holding her hand in both of his, The Commander looks to the Inquisitor’s family that look equally pained at what they have seen take place but are still trapped behind the barrier that Daniel has placed around the house. “All I cared about was the Inquisition and her..” The Commander adds lowering his head.  
  
“Don’t touch her,” The Inquisitor snarls when his attention has been drawn back to his brother and friend that are gathered around the Seekers body. Daniel and the Commander look up at Lord Trevelyan when they see him drop his eyes to Cassandra and then to the blood on his hands, the pair wondering if he is having a flash of recognition and seeing what he has done.  
  
“You did this” The Commander snaps, fixing his own stare on Lord Trevelyan as he approaches them, his own grief being replaced by anger that he knew wouldn’t change anything. “You killed her” He sobs leaning further over her body, still trying to protect her from the Inquisitor. “You never deserved her, she was too good for you and you killed her” He growls trying to keep Lord Trevelyan back. Daniel climbs to his feet stepping out of the way knowing that he could be in for trouble and sensing some already present tension between them.  
  
“Keep away from her” Lord Trevelyan adds with a huff coming to a stop over Cullen and Cassandra. The Commander fumes when he doesn’t even bother to look at The Seeker.  
  
“She would have done anything for you and you took advantage of her” The Commander continues, his own anger building when he sees Lord Trevelyan just shrug at his words. Cullen climbs to his feet placing his hands on the Inquisitor’s chest, he shoves him backwards and away from the Seeker. Cullen shakes his head slightly, he was angry at the man that had killed Cassandra, and he knew it wasn’t his fault but it was making him feel better to have someone to blame. “You continually lied to her and betrayed her trust.. You have no idea how lucky you were to have her” Cullen huffs, his brow furrowing. “You hurt her and left her worrying about you because for some reason she actually loved you” The Commander sighs when he watches The Inquisitor kick at a stone with the tip of his boot. “I loved her” Cullen growls trying to get his attention, angry that he wont meet his eyes and sad that he was not seeing any recognition or response from the friend he knows is being hidden by the anger.  
  
“She didn’t love you!” The Inquisitor suddenly bellows catching Cullen off guard, The Commander swallows hard seeing Lord Trevelyan fix his still angry eyes on him. “She was mine..” He spits shoving Cullen even harder in return.  
  
“Now neither of us can have her..” The Commander chokes trying to keep his voice from wavering. “Now neither of us will ever get to hold her again and tell her that we love her” Cullen whispers when he glances to see that Daniel is trying to approach the Inquisitor, without him noticing. “But it is you that will have to live with the fact that you killed her and you killed her child!” The Commander shouts ignoring the cries that he hears from the Inquisitor’s parents hearing that they were going to be grandparents again. He shoves Lord Trevelyan again trying to unbalance him.  
  
“Get me the knife” Daniel cries as he throws himself at Lord Trevelyan, using his shoulders to tackle him to the ground. The Commander watches The Inquisitor fall to the ground, taking the mage down with him. Daniel uses his weight to try and pin Lord Trevelyan to the floor as he begins struggling beneath him, yelling and screaming with rage that his brother has bested him. “The knife Cullen!” Daniel shouts again looking up at The Commander, who stands dumbstruck for a moment.  
  
“Let go of me!” The Inquisitor roars trying to fight Daniel and throw him off of him, Cullen sees Daniel pinning his brother’s shoulders down in an attempt to keep him from struggling. “I’ll kill you,” Lord Trevelyan spits as he thrashes beneath Daniel’s hold.  
  
“Take it!” Cullen shouts his reply as he quickly bends to take hold of the blade that is strapped to Lord Trevelyan’s waist, The Commander falters when he sees there is still blood on the blade that matches that which is on his hands. He forces the knife towards Daniel when he sees the Mage struggling to hold onto Lord Trevelyan for much longer. “Can’t you use magic on him?” Cullen asks as he moves to place his weight onto The Inquisitor’s legs to stop him kicking at them both.  
  
“No, I need him to not be bound” Daniel huffs with effort as they both fight against his flailing arms and legs, the Inquisitor tying to remove their hold on him. Daniel watches as the Inquisitor raises his marked hand up above them, the green light and electric sparking from his palm as he threatens to open a fade rift. “He’ll kill us all” Daniel shouts placing both his hands on his little brother’s shoulders trying to slam them against the floor to distract him from his actions with his hand. “You must force it into his hand before he opens a rift” The Mage shouts, looking over his shoulder at Cullen who just nods slowly in response.  
  
“No!” The Inquisitor cries when he hears Daniel’s instruction, he tries to fight harder against them pulling his hand out of their reach as it bursts into life. The large green shards of light and energy being forced up into the sky, beginning to make it split in two. “You can’t stop me” He pants wriggling again trying to get away from them.  
  
“I’m sorry Ashton” The Commander whispers as he moves away from holding his legs down and moves up his body, he grabs hold of the Inquisitor’s wrist pinning it above his head as Daniel holds his shoulders in place, trying to avoid the green coming from his hand and his legs that are threatening to kick him. “This is for your own good my friend” Cullen huffs trying to fight his anger at Lord Trevelyan, he had to ignore his grief that he had killed Cassandra and focus on doing what he could to help him. He had to believe in his heart that he was right that Lord Trevelyan had loved Lady Pentaghast just as much as she loved him, and if he was himself he would never have let anything happen to her or hurt her. No matter what this Inquisitor had done, somewhere in there was his friend and he had to do what he could to bring him back. Daniel turns his head away not wanting to watch when Cullen lifts the blade high above his head before driving it down hard into the palm of the Inquisitor. The Commander feels The Inquisitor’s whole body shift when the pain shoots through him and he lets out a large sob and a scream of agony, a cry from deep in his chest that sounds like a wounded animal. He immediately stops fighting them when his only concern becomes his pain and the cut deep into his hand.  
  
“I’ll get the vial” Daniel chokes avoiding looking at The Inquisitor who lays back panting, the fight being taken out of him as soon as the knife had come into contact with his mark. “It’s stopped the rift” Daniel adds glancing up at the sky and then to his brother that lies sobbing beneath him. Daniel waits for The Commander to climb off of Lord Trevelyan before he does the same, neither of them needing to restrain him any further. Daniel looks down at Lord Trevelyan again watching him curl into a ball, drawing his hand protectively against his chest as the blood pools in his palm. Cullen backs away panting from the effort of trying to keep Lord Trevelyan still, he drops the knife to the floor realising what he has done to his friend.  
  
“Is he okay?” The Commander asks watching The Inquisitor clutch his hand, he glances over to where his beloved Seeker’s body lies wondering if she would have ever forgiven him, if he let anything happen to Lord Trevelyan and not tried to lift the magic from him. “Daniel, is he back with us?” Cullen asks again realising that as much as he felt the man before him had taken away everything he loved; If Lord Trevelyan was back with them now he was going to have an even harder time living with the knowledge that he’s killed the woman he loves.

“No..” Daniel sighs as he reaches to take hold of the knife again. “We have just disrupted his rage for a moment.. Don’t get too close to him” Daniel adds stepping carefully over his brother. “You did the right thing” The Mage glances at Cullen who just nods slowly before he kneels down at the Inquisitors side again, he places the blade beneath the leather that holds the vial at his neck. “There is no telling if this will work..” Daniel sighs as he tugs the blade towards him slicing the necklace letting the vial drop into his waiting hand.

“I’ll kill you both” Lord Trevelyan croaks rolling onto his back again, he lets his hand fall to his side as he closes his eyes trying to keep the pain from his face. “Starting with you..” He adds kicking out in the general direction of his brother.  
  
“Destroy the vial” Cullen huffs placing his hands on his hips as he shakes his head, the Inquisitor hadn’t been returned to them and he was still throwing threats around even after he’s been injured. “I’ll do it” The Commander adds holding his hand out to the Mage, Cullen frowns when he sees Daniel just shake his head.  
  
“I wish it was that simple” Daniel replies giving him a small smile. “It’s a life bond, both of their blood is in there. If we just destroy the vial it will kill Lord Trevelyan just as he killed Cassandra” Daniel adds watching another wave of grief wash over the Commander at his words. “Solas gave them the gift of life, he knew that if anything happened to either one of them, they could use that vial to be returned to each other. Whoevers blood is in there has the power to bring the other person back from the dead.. I don’t believe that your Elf friend was trying to cause harm to them, I don’t think he knew what affect the vial would have on my brother and I don’t believe he knew the kind of reaction his mark would have to this blood magic” Daniel sighs again as he lifts the vial to his face, it slides away from him again as it had done before.  
  
“You mean there is a way we can get her back?” The Commander asks hurriedly, he approaches Daniel again grabbing hold of his shoulders. “Do you mean we can make her live again? Tell me what we have to do..” He asks giving the Mage a shake in his excitement.  
  
“It has to be him that brings her back.. He’s in no fit state to do that, he has to want her to live and that magic has removed any chance we have of him cooperating with us” Daniel huffs removing himself from under Cullen’s hands. “I’m sorry, I hoped that removing the vial from him would be enough” Daniel adds watching the Commanders shoulders sink. “It has to be him, his blood is in there”  
  
“Take my blood” The Commander suddenly shouts snatching the knife from Daniel’s hand. “Put my blood with theirs, let me bring her back” Cullen adds trying to take the vial from him in his eagerness to follow through with his plan.  
  
“I don’t even know if that is possible..” Daniel shakes his head when he moves the vial out of Cullen’s reach. “This magic is between two people, not three. The whole point is that it binds a pair together so that they can keep each other safe. Solas has obviously seen something in their future that means he wants to give them a chance to live again.. I’ve never heard of anyone adding a third person’s blood into this kind of magic” Daniel sighs when he sees the Commander is standing firm on his decision. “It might not work at all, it might kill all three of you. Are you willing to risk yourself for a maybe?” The Mage asks setting his eyes on Cullen.  
  
“I love her..” Cullen huffs making Daniel sigh again. “I can’t just give up on them both.. You said yourself he isn’t himself and he isn’t getting out of this unless we break the magic. If the only way to break it, is to use it then that is what we have to do. You have to mix my blood in there and make me part of it” The Commander nods as he pushes the knife back towards Daniel. “Say this did work.. What would happen?” He asks glancing at the Inquisitor who still clutches his hand to his chest while laid out on the floor.  
  
“If and this is a big if.. If the bond was to be altered allowing your blood into it, you would be able to bring Cassandra back. What I can’t tell you is what it will do to you, this isn’t supposed to work like that and I don’t know what will happen. It might destroy the vial but adding your blood might cause it to affect you like it has done my Brother. It might change the dynamic of this magic to such an extent that all three of you will be tied to each other..” Daniel takes the blade from Cullen following his eyes to Lord Trevelyan.  
  
“So if one of us was to die in the future, we might all die?” The Commander asks watching him nod slowly. “But it might equally end this altogether and mean all of us would be free of the magic” Cullen adds as he looks over to Lord Trevelyan’s family that are stood the other side of the barrier watching them.  
  
“I don’t have any answers for you.. This is very dark magic Commander, there is nothing stronger than love, life and blood.. But yes, you may all have your fates entwined and it might mean that one day any one of you might have to make a choice between who they save and who they leave to die” Daniel looks over at his parents seeing the hurt on their faces that he is there and the accusing eyes that he has done this to them and has caused her death.  
  
“Well he will always chose to save her, over me..” Cullen mumbles looking back to Daniel.  
  
“But how sure are you that she will always pick him over you?” Daniel asks with a small smile. “I can’t stop you but I don’t think this is a good idea.. Cassandra may be returned to you now but it might mean she is taken again in the future” Daniel watches Cullen smile lightly.  
  
“We have to try and save her” The Commander nods stepping closer to Daniel, he holds his arm out to him dropping his eyes to the knife. “Do it.. I don’t care what happens to me” Cullen adds looking into the Mage’s face again. He didn’t even know this man but he was willing to try anything if it meant he could bring The Seeker back, even if it meant risking his own life. The Commander watches Daniel nod slowly, there was no way he could talk Cullen out of this and he knew it.


	22. Alive

Lady Pentaghast lets out a quiet groan when she slowly lets herself begin to come round from a slumber that feels like she has slept for an entire age and has the aching muscles and limbs to prove it. She lets her brain slowly travel around her body, mentally checking for anything that hurts when she gently wiggles her toes and fingers to make sure everything is working just as it should. But they shouldn’t be working should they? She shouldn’t be able to wiggle her toes; she was supposed to be dead. The Seeker hears muffled voices that she can’t quite make out the words and it sounds like they are far away but are suddenly excited about something and getting louder, when she tries to open her eyes and focus on the source of the noise. Cassandra gingerly opens her eyes a fraction suddenly aware of how bright the room is how quickly her head is spinning from being in the same position for too long. She tries to open her mouth but feels how dry it feels so goes back to concentrating on opening her eyes wider.  
  
“Cullen!” Cassandra hears Lord Trevelyan shout when she finally recognises the muffled sound is that of her lover. She feels her breath catch when she hears the warm timber of his voice, wondering if she would ever hear anything so comforting as words coming from his mouth. “I think she’s waking up” He adds excitedly as The Seeker hears the sound of the Inquisitor’s boots moving quickly across the stone floor and towards the bed.  
  
“Ash..” Lady Pentaghast manages to croak as she opens her eyes wider, ignoring the slight sting from the bright sun that is filling the room from the large window and bathing her in light. Cassandra feels his weight on the bed beside her when he leans over the mattress to get closer to her, just his presence alone comforting her. She had wondered if she would ever see him again, her last thoughts had been of him and wishing that he had been with her. The Seeker feels herself frown when she suddenly remembers what had happened, she had died and he had been the one that had killed her yet knowing he was nearby made her heart sing. She finally lays eyes on him when he leans over, placing a hand either side of her body as he sits down at her side.  
  
“Cass..” Lord Trevelyan smiles nervously as she peers at him through bleary eyes, when he sets his eyes into hers he gives her a wide smile. “You scared me” The Inquisitor adds reaching to take hold of her hand, he takes hers in his palm holding it gently to try and not hurt her. Cassandra sees him smile again and swallow down a lump in his own throat when their eyes meet with so many unanswered questions. “Here let me get you some water..” She watches him reach for a glass that has been left at her bedside for her, The Seeker lets him lift it to her lips letting her take a few sips to quench her thirst and make it easier for her to speak. “Better?” He whispers when she nods her thanks to him, the smile that he gives her making her stomach summersault.  
  
“How long have I been here?” The Seeker asks letting her eyes travel around the bedroom again, she was in Lord Trevelyan’s room in his family’s estate, she recognises the dark green drapes at the windows at once and that she has been tucked up in the large soft bed they had been sharing. She glances around her and sees that everything looks exactly as it had done but now every free surface has been covered in vases full of brightly coloured flowers and blossoming potted plants, all appearing to be gifts and well wishes from people that have been worried about her. “Are those all for me?” Cassandra asks trying to sit up slightly to get a good look at them all, she looks back to Lord Trevelyan who just smiles and nods. Lady Pentaghast lets herself gaze at him for a moment trying to memorise the expression on his face that she can only label as pure love and adoration for her, she notices how tired he looks and wonders how long he has been sat at her bedside in a vigil. “How long have I been asleep?” She watches Lord Trevelyan’s mouth tug slightly as he shakes his head, he had obviously been taking a little more than a small nap.  
  
“Two days, Three if you count the day that you..” The Inquisitor begins before dropping his eyes from hers, stopping himself from adding anything further to his sentence. Cassandra sees him swallow again as if it’s too painful for him to even think about. The day she died, he had meant to say. The Seeker wasn’t sure how much strength she had in her body, or even what had taken place after Lord Trevelyan had killed her, but she knew she wanted to at least try and sit up and have his arms around her. The Seeker looks to the space at his throat where his cotton shirt is unbuttoned to showing a slice of his tanned skin, noticing that there is no sign of the vial there and that when she looks into his eyes she only sees her Inquisitor staring back at her.  
  
“I never thought I’d see you again” Lady Pentaghast whispers when she begins to sit up, she watches concern flash across his face when she feels her head spin at her sudden movement and she reaches out for him to support her. Before he can begin to scold her for doing too much when she has had a trying few days, The Inquisitor quickly scoops her up in his arms sliding them around her drawing her up against his body, his need to be holding her just as strong as her need to be held. “I missed you” The Seeker feels herself sniff as she buries her head into him, immediately soothed by his warmth and the familiar feel and smell of him. Cassandra feels him sigh against her as if all the worries of the last few days can be forgotten now they are back together. “Are you, you?” Cassandra whispers when he engulfs her with his arms feeling like she definitely had her Inquisitor back and that whatever they did to remove the blood magic from him has worked. She feels Lord Trevelyan laughing at her question that he must think she has asked too many times.  
  
“Yes” The Inquisitor whispers letting her rest her head against his neck as he strokes her back slowly, his palms placing the softest of touch against her that makes her crave closer contact with him. “I’m me and I’m never going to lose you like that again” Lord Trevelyan presses his mouth into her hair letting her wrap her arms around him just as tightly. “They told me what happened..” The Inquisitor begins as he lets go of her slowly, he leans forward to plump the pillows up for her letting her settle back comfortably against the headboard. Cassandra smiles to herself when she catches him gazing at her again, he reaches out instinctively to brush his thumb against her bottom lip making her smile further. The Seeker places her hand on her stomach thinking about what had happened, she wasn’t sure how hurt she had been and she wasn’t sure how she was going to ask him how their child was. She watches as he takes both of her hands in his holding them in her lap, looking down at his hand she sees a thick bandage has been wrapped tightly around where the mark usually appears from.  
  
“What happened to your hand?” Cassandra asks as he moves his eyes to join hers, looking at his injured hand that is hidden by the white material. She rubs her fingers against his knuckles, against the small knot in the bandage. “Were you hurt?” She adds as he looks into her eyes again.  
  
“Lady Pentaghast” The Inquisitor sighs as he gives her a smirk, she sees his eyes drop to his hand when she turns his palm up to face her noticing that it is the centre of his hand that has been injured and that the bandage is covering a deep wound. “You died because of me, and you are more concerned about my hand? Don’t you want to know what happened?” He asks her as she returns his smile. “After all, you brought Daniel here so he could help me..” Lord Trevelyan adds making Cassandra blanch at his words, he didn’t look angry but he did have every right to be.  
  
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you” Cassandra begins blurting out the words of apology, still not knowing the fate of the Mage and what had happened. “I didn’t know what else to do..” The Seeker huffs quietly when Lord Trevelyan chuckles, she watches him lean towards her again pressing his mouth softly against hers making her sigh in elation at the touch of his lips on hers. He definitely wasn’t angry with her and if there was ever a perfect reason to go on living, it was so she could continue to love the man in front of her with all of her being and spend the rest of her days kissing him.

“You did the right thing” The Inquisitor smiles with a small nod, brown eyes fixing on hers. “You may have thought you were just bringing him here to help me, but you’ve actually helped Daniel too” Lord Trevelyan lifts his hand to her face stroking her cheek beneath his palm. “My family can heal because of you.. Because no one is living under the rule of Henry’s lies anymore” The Inquisitor bites his bottom lip for a moment looking like some of the lies and truths have been harder to deal with than others.  
  
“You mean Daniel is still here?” Lady Pentaghast asks trying to fight back the large bubble of happiness that threatens to explode in her chest, she knew that he just needed a chance to speak to them all and they would be able to resolve all of their problems. The Trevelyan’s were good people and a loving family, they had all been lied to and it was about time that they all learnt the truth so they could support each other.  
  
“Yes..” Lord Trevelyan nods again “Daniel is still here and he and my parents are taking some time to sort through everything that happened” The Inquisitor smiles when he sees The Seeker begin to fidget in their bed, she knew she was impossible to keep still and make rest at the best of times let alone when she had so many questions to ask him. “You are supposed to be resting, you’ve been through a lot” Lord Trevelyan sighs when the Seeker places her fingers on his face, letting her finger softly trace the line of the scar on his lip making him smile beneath her touch. His bruising and injuries to his face looked much better even in the two days since she had last seen him, he was healing even if it was slower than he would have liked. “Do you remember what happened?” He asks as Cassandra places her hand on his arm.  
  
“Yes, some of it” Lady Pentaghast nods, she remembered the funeral, she remembered that Daniel had received her letters and she remembered that the Inquisitor had been taken by the darkness of the vial again. She also remembered that she had kissed Cullen, a lot more than she ever should have. She knew that Lord Trevelyan had ended her life without a bat of an eyelid, but she knew it hadn’t been really him and he was sat in front of her so it must have worked. “Do you?” She asks watching him shake his head slowly; maybe it was for the best he didn’t remember. Especially the kissing part.  
  
“I don’t remember much after leaving this room before Henry’s funeral. That is until I remember being out in the yard with Cullen and Daniel” Lord Trevelyan glances at her again “I just woke up in pain with this..” He adds lifting his bandaged hand again “Courtesy of our Commander, so I’m told” The Inquisitor nods giving her a reassuring look that he wasn’t angry when he sees her pale, that was two wounds he had received from Cullen recently. “Apparently I was quite a handful” Lord Trevelyan gives her a smirk making Cassandra laugh, that was the understatement of the age.  
  
“I’m glad to have you back to your usual self” Cassandra returns his smile seeing how guilty he looks at his actions, even though he was unable to control them or even remember everything that he did. “I don’t want to ever be without you..” Lady Pentaghast leans forward again placing her hands on his shoulders, she slides her palms to his neck letting him kiss her in a gentle kiss that makes her realise he is being overly careful with her as if she might break at any moment. “Did you have to see me?” Cassandra whispers resting her forehead against his, watching him drop his eyes from her and nod, it had been awful for her to see Lord Trevelyan a completely different person but she couldn’t imagine how it had been for him to see her and know that she had died under his knife.  
  
“I’m sorry for what happened” Lord Trevelyan whispers as she wraps her arms around him again, ignoring the weakness and aches she feels in her body and wanting to spend more time touching him and trying to comfort him after everything they have been through. “I’m sorry for what I did” He adds making her smile lightly.  
  
“It wasn’t your fault” Cassandra sighs when he lets go of her, he takes hold of her hand as if he doesn’t want to break contact with her for too long in case he loses her. “None of what happened is your fault” The Seeker repeats trying to convince her Inquisitor that doesn’t look so sure, she places her hand on his cheek stroking her fingers along the line of his jaw.  
  
“I still hurt you” Lord Trevelyan turns his head to press his mouth against the palm of her hand before she runs her hands through his hair, resting them on his neck again. “There was so much blood” The Inquisitor whispers making Cassandra close her eyes for a moment, she had remembered the blood when he had returned to Skyhold and would never forget the image of him being covered in it. She had cleaned him after then and was certain that he had done the same for her.  
  
“I’m okay Ash” Lady Pentaghast takes hold of one of his hands, holding it tightly in her lap trying to draw him back from thinking about what he saw. The Seeker places her other hand on her ribs wondering why there is no pain from the stab wound and why she cant feel the bandage beneath the cotton tunic that she has been dressed in. “Why am I not hurt? I saw the blood.. I felt the pain” The Seeker adds looking up at him, she could see he didn’t want to talk about what he had done and how much pain he had caused her, but he was going to have to. Cassandra lifts her tunic, placing her hand against the bare and completely unmarked or damaged skin on her side. “How is this possible?” Lady Pentaghast frowns when she sees no trace at all of his knife entering her body.  
  
“The vial healed you” Lord Trevelyan begins, she feels him place his hand over hers as she studies the smooth pink skin. “It returned you to the state that you were in before.. What happened” The Inquisitor adds when she looks back at him. “Our baby is safe. Daniel says our little Inquisitor will be fine” Cassandra smiles when she hears his words, she had been terrified to even mention what had happened to their baby in case it wasn’t the answer she had wanted to hear. “Everything is fine” Lord Trevelyan smiles again but she can’t help but notice the sadness behind his eyes that he had put her and their child at risk. He places both of his hands on her stomach as he leans forward to capture her mouth with his, trying to force away his guilt and replace all of his thoughts with nothing but her.

The Seeker smiles to herself when she feels him cup her face in his hand, all of his anxieties about his actions when under the influence of the vial disappearing when she kisses him back. Cassandra loved him and no matter what happened, she always would. Lady Pentaghast wraps her arms around his neck trying to draw him closer to her, she giggles against his mouth when he lets her drag him over her body. She huffs quietly hearing Lord Trevelyan groan in frustration when the door to the bedroom is thrown open and Commander Cullen bursts through it, his cheeks flushed from the sprint he has just made through the house to reach the bedroom.  
  
“Did you say she is awake?” Cullen pants when he looks over to the bed, she feels Lord Trevelyan let go of her as she glances up to see The Commander fixing his eyes on her from the doorway. The Inquisitor sighs quietly before trying to remove himself from the bed and climb to his feet, Cassandra grabs hold of his hand holding it even tighter so he can’t move away from her.  
  
“Don’t go..” Cassandra whispers seeing her lover nod and give her a lopsided smile before he leans forward to press his lips against hers again in a soft kiss. The Seeker lets him slide his fingers through hers showing that he isn’t going anywhere, she watches him glance at the Commander who skirts his way around the other side of the bed. She feels his weight pressing onto the bed as he mirrors the Inquisitor’s seating position. “Yes, _she_ is awake” Lady Pentaghast replies flatly before giving him a smile.

“Thank the Maker..” The Commander returns her smile showing how genuinely relieved he is to see that she is awake and okay. “We were worried about you” Cullen adds looking to Lord Trevelyan who just nods at his words. “How are you feeling?” Ser Rutherford asks tilting his head at his question as she feels his eyes searching her face, she wondered how desperate he was to mention their kiss and if he would be bold enough to do it with the Inquisitor sat at her side.  
  
“Better” Cassandra smiles and quickly glances at Lord Trevelyan who is looking uncomfortable and picking at a thread on the blanket so he doesn’t have to watch Cullen gazing at Cassandra. “Especially now I know you are both okay” Lady Pentaghast adds setting her eyes into the comforting amber of her best friends, she sees him grin as The Commander leans forward to pull her into his arms surprising her with his sudden close contact. Cassandra watches him lean back into his seat on the bed when he has finished hugging her, he takes hold of her other hand in his letting it rest gently in his palm “Ashton was just about to tell me what happened with the Vial” She looks back to The Inquisitor again drawing his attention back to her, she sees his eyes move to her hand that The Commander is holding so tenderly in his own. One thing that Lady Pentaghast loved about being in love with Lord Trevelyan was the way that they could both say so much to each other even without words, just with their eyes and touch they could share all of their worries, thoughts and feelings. Currently Lord Trevelyan was feeling jealous and inferior, he was worrying that he was going to lose The Seeker to The Commander, his guilt plastered all over his face and his eyes on their hands told her he remembered more than he was letting on.  
  
“I’m sure you two have a lot of discuss” Lord Trevelyan gives her a weak smile, which makes her frown. “The Commander has been sat at your bedside just as long as I have” The Inquisitor nods as he lets go of Cassandra’s hand and climbs to his feet, The Seeker watches him glance around him as if he has something important he is supposed to be doing but just looks awkward watching The Commander anywhere near his love. “I’m sure Cullen will want to tell you all about the life bond that you two now share” Lady Pentaghast feels her heart sink at his words, not only was her love feeling guilt for all the pain he has caused her he was now feeling insecure because they had somehow managed to transfer the blood magic and life bond to her and the Commander.  
  
“Please don’t go” Cassandra feels her mouth suddenly dry when she sees Lord Trevelyan just shake his head, he looked so hurt and all she wanted to do was comfort him but he was trying to walk away. “Stay with me” Lady Pentaghast adds grabbing his hand again.  
  
“I need to check on my parents and the boys” Lord Trevelyan sighs when she brings his knuckle up to her mouth, she presses a kiss against the back of his hand trying to hold on to him for as long as she can. “They’ll want to know you are awake, they’ve been worried about you too. I’ll leave you two alone..” The Inquisitor adds as Cassandra watches him approach her, he leans down to press his mouth against the top of her head. The Seeker isn’t sure if she wants to scold him for trying to leave her on her own or cry at the sadness behind his actions, she feels his mouth linger longer than usual in her hair.  
  
“Ash..” Cassandra sighs when he moves from her, she glances at The Commander who just looks down at his boots obviously realising that he has driven the Inquisitor away. The Seeker watches him look back to her, his deep brown eyes still full of his love for her even though his pride is hurting. “I love you” She whispers seeing a small smile tug at the corner of his mouth, glad that he at least listening to her words. “Only you” Cassandra adds watching him nod when she repeats word he has told her recently when she had found out about his former love, Lady Annabelle.  
  
“What is his problem?” Cassandra hears Cullen mumble when they have watched Lord Trevelyan excuse himself and leave the room, closing the heavy wooden door behind him. The Seeker narrows her eyes looking at the Commander, trying to decide if he was trying to be funny or not. “What?” Cullen asks when he notices her looking at him.  
  
“What did you tell him?” The Seeker huffs seeing the crease in between Cullen’s nose deepen when he drops his brow at the tone of her voice. “What have you said to upset him?” Cassandra adds realising how accusing her question sounds but when she just sees The Commander shrug she sees it is not unfounded.  
  
“Why do you think it has anything to do with me?” The Commander returns her huff, forgetting for a moment how ridiculously pleased he is to see her alive and well. When Cassandra gives him another accusing look he sighs. “Cassandra, why does it matter if he’s upset? He killed you, I saw you die..” Cullen adds dropping his head so he can set his eyes into hers. “You lied to me.. You knew all along that you were going to have him kill you and you let me watch that happen. Do you have any idea how it feels to watch someone you love die? Don’t you know what that did to me?” He asks her making her sigh, he was of course right. She had lied to him and she had known how much it would hurt him to see her that way, she just hadn’t realised how much it would hurt her having him with her in her last moments and not Lord Trevelyan.  
  
“I didn’t mean to hurt you, it was the only way to save him” Lady Pentaghast watches him drop his head again, yes she had been selfish but she had to do everything she could to save the Inquisitor. He was hers and she was his, she couldn’t just let him suffer and lose him completely. “I’m sorry that I lied to you but you would never have agreed to the plan if you knew what would happen to me. I heard how you reacted to my death.. I felt your pain and I saw your grief Cullen, but I would do anything for him, It hurts me to see him like that. I love him..” Cassandra whispers knowing it was the last thing the Commander wanted to hear.  
  
“Your right, I wouldn’t have agreed. You shouldn’t have risked yourself for him, there was no way to know what would have happened. You didn’t even know if the vial would work. He continually puts you at risk and you let him” Lady Pentaghast watches him place his finger between his eyes rubbing the skin there. “He should be protecting you..” Cullen drops his hand and reaches to take hold of her palm again, Cassandra feels herself falter under his touch and sees that he has noticed. “Why are you being like that with me now?” The Commander mumbles searching her face again, she knew she was being hot and cold with him and it wasn’t fair.  
  
“I should never have asked you to kiss me” Lady Pentaghast replies watching him nod slowly, she sees him bite his bottom lip when he drops his eyes from her. The truth was she had been letting them cross far too many lines and she knew she should never have used him and his feelings for her gain, she had allowed him to get too close and had only stoked the fire of his love for her.  
  
“You kissed me back, Lady Pentaghast” Cullen sighs when he looks at her. “You didn’t have to kiss me like that. You don’t kiss someone like that unless you want to and you mean to” The Commander lifts his hand to place it on her cheek as he had done before; he gently strokes his thumb against her scar. “That wasn’t just to make Ashton jealous” He adds when she closes her eyes tightly.  
  
“I love The Inquisitor” Cassandra whispers when he drops his hand from her cheek. “I love Ashton, Cullen. Whatever happened was just a heat of the moment thing. I told you it can’t change anything between us, you know I care about you but we are just friends” The Seeker adds watching him frown again, she wasn’t sure what he expected her to say but she was sure that wasn’t it.  
  
“But I felt something..” The Commander sighs. “I know you feel it too, but I know you love him and he makes you happy” He adds shaking his head again. Cassandra places her hand on her friends shoulder trying to offer him some comfort; she wasn’t about to start debating the intricate details of their complicated relationship with him. She knew she cared about him and that he would always be her protector and Knight in Shining armour, but they just weren’t destined to be together in any way more than this.  
  
“This cant stop us being friends” The Seeker watches him drop his head; she knew if he was being realistic with himself, he knew that they couldn’t and wouldn’t ever be more than friends. A moment of fleeting madness had been all it was and she should never have let it happen. “We are good for each other, just not in that way” Cassandra adds when he takes hold of her hand, he wraps his own around hers giving her a crooked smile to show that he is okay. “I am still going to need my best friend”  
  
“I’m not going anywhere, Seeker” The Commander chuckles. “We are good for each other and you are my best friend..” He nods “I will try and keep my feelings in check and not put you in a difficult situation, I’ll try and show you that keeping me close is a good choice for you and that I’m not going to cause you problems” Cullen smiles again when she brushes a small strand of his unruly blonde hair back from his face.  
  
“So we are bound for life?” Lady Pentaghast gives him a reassuring smile when he looks at her, she watches him reach into his coat pocket pulling the vial out from its confines. Commander Cullen holds it up in front of her face showing her the small bottle that once contained hers and Lord Trevelyan’s blood, he grasps it tight in his hand as if he doesn’t want to let go of it.  
  
“I’m afraid so” Cullen smirks glancing through the glass and back at the Seeker as his eyes fix on hers. Cassandra notices how different the vial looks now the evil has been lifted from it, before she had seen their blood thrashing angrily giving off a dark red light of dangerous magic as it tried to escape. Now the bottle is calm and gives off a warm pink glow, their blood moving slowly together in harmony like a pair of lovers wrapped around one another. “I will always protect you,” The Commander whispers, drawing Cassandra away from gazing at their blood swirling in a slow dance.  
  
“Has Ashton seen this?” Lady Pentaghast asks trying to direct her eyes away from how beautiful their blood looks together, she watches Cullen shrug again. That meant he had and no wonder he was so upset, their life bond had been so aggressive and violent, so volatile and dangerous. Hers and Cullen’s life bond was the complete opposite. “Don’t be so facetious” Cassandra huffs.  
  
“Yes he has, and he isn’t happy about it” The Commander wraps his hand around the vial again placing it back into his pocket. “It doesn’t affect us like it did him though, it has all the benefits of a life bond but without the rage. Daniel thinks his mark caused the negative response to the vial, not anything Solas did. All it means is if anything happens to either of us, we can bring each other back” Cullen adds placing his hands on her knees through the sheets.  
  
“So how did our blood get in there, exactly?” The Seeker watches him smile, he was obviously feeling pleased with himself. Not only had he been responsible for her resurrection but they were now joined together, for as long as they lived through the vial. Cassandra feels herself frown at his smugness, he and the Inquisitor were supposed to be friends and they were both making it very difficult for her.  
  
“I had to donate my blood” Cullen nods. “When the Inquisitor was unable to save you, I had Daniel add my blood to the vial so that I could control the magic in there.. We didn’t know what would happen, we thought it might destroy the vial all together once we had used it to bring you back. Instead once the bond had been used to revive you, my blood replaced Ashton’s and created the life bond with yours” Cassandra swallows hard at his words; she couldn’t think of many people better than the Commander to be linked to, they would always be able to protect each other and have each others backs, but she could see why the Inquisitor would be feeling so inferior. She wanted to be bonded to The Inquisitor, in every way there was, but their life bond had hurt them both and nearly ended both of their lives. Lord Trevelyan had been so consumed by the vial that he hadn’t been able to save her; Cullen had done it in his place. Lord Trevelyan’s blood had created a dark life bond with her, Cullen’s had created a light and beautiful one. Lord Trevelyan had killed her and walked away from her as she took her final breath, the Commander had held her until he felt the last of her life leave her.  
  
“I’m not surprised he is upset. He probably feels like he let me down, and you were there for me when he wasn’t. It wasn’t Ashton’s fault; none of this is his fault. You need to forgive each other, he cares about you but he is feeling his pride has been battered. If he had been himself he would have saved me, but he wasn’t himself and that’s why I ended up like this” Lady Pentaghast sighs seeing him give her a sad smile and a nod, she would never forget the pain she had seen in his eyes and the sounds he had made when he sobbed over her body. “But thank you for being there for me in what I know must have been difficult for you. I’m glad I wasn’t on my own when it happened” Cassandra sees him nod again, she couldn’t tell him that the whole time her world was going black she was wishing it was Lord Trevelyan that was holding her tightly.  
  
“I don’t want to think about it” The Commander gives her a weak smile before he leans forward again drawing her into his arms, The Seeker accepts his hold knowing how much he had been hurt by the whole situation too and wanting to be some kind of support to him. He was still her best friend, even if she felt she was going to have to be more guarded around him for a while. “But if we ever have to be in the same situation again, I will always be here with you right till the end” Cullen adds pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek.  
  
“I am glad we have a way we can take of each other, I think you should keep it though” Cassandra feels him nod as he lets go of her, it was probably best for him to keep it close to him so not to hurt Lord Trevelyan further.  
  
“I should go and get Ashton, for you” The Commander whispers, making Cassandra nod. “I know this has been difficult for him and he wants to be with you” Cullen adds glancing at her again. “Now I know you are okay, I can hand you back to your Inquisitor” Cassandra hated that she was still coming between Lord Trevelyan and The Commander, but she appreciated that most of the time they were both trying for her benefit. She was glad that her friend was also trying to acknowledge that she needed to be with Lord Trevelyan, even if he didn’t understand why and would probably never understand the Inquisitor.  
  
“Could you help me up?” Lady Pentaghast asks, seeing the sudden look of uncertainty on his face. “I’m fine, I just want to stretch my legs Cullen” Cassandra adds trying to reassure him, it was obviously going to take a while before both of her protectors stopped treating her like she was fragile. They were always trying to keep her safe at the best of times, but this would only add to their concern for her.  
  
“He said you were supposed to be resting” The Commander begins looking into her face, they both knew she was going to get her own way and there wasn’t much point arguing with her. “Maybe you should stay in bed for a while longer?” The Seeker watches her friend take hold of the sheet in his hand, tugging it higher up her body trying to tuck her into the bed so she cant move.  
  
“Stop” Cassandra laughs batting his hands away, trying to wriggle out from the tight confines of the sheet. “Go and find The Inquisitor, please?” She asks placing her hand on his arm again when he smiles. “Thank you for being my friend Cullen” The Seeker adds seeing that her words only make his smile wider.  
  
“Always” The Commander dips his head to her slightly when he places his hand over hers. “Thank you for being mine” He coughs gently trying to cover his embarrassment “I’ll see if I can find him.. Don’t go throwing yourself out of bed until I do” Cullen adds as he stands, he looks back at her giving her a faux warning look that she better do as she is told and stay in bed.  
  
“I’ll wait right here” Lady Pentaghast motions for him to do as he has said and waits for him to cross the room and open the door before she sits up completely. Cassandra wriggles her sore limbs and body towards the edge of the bed and throwing her legs over the side until he feet come into contact with the cold stone. The Seeker sits for a moment, stretching her feet out in front of her trying to work the tired feeling from her muscles.  
  
“I thought I asked you to rest” Cassandra looks up to the door when she hears Lord Trevelyan’s voice, she feels herself smile as soon as she sets eyes on him and that he is carefully trying to navigate his way through the doorway with a tray in his hands. Lady Pentaghast watches him lift the tray higher showing her that he has brought her some breakfast, she feels her stomach rumble in response to the sight of the food.  
  
“And I thought I asked you to stay with me,” The Seeker replies giving him a cheeky smile watching him return it weakly as he walks across the room towards her, he slowly places the tray down on the end of the bed as he watches her continuing to stretch the muscles in her legs. She did understand that he had felt like he needed to not be present when The Commander had begun telling her about their life bond, Cassandra didn’t like to see her Lord Trevelyan hurting but could understand why he was.  
  
“I figured you might be hungry” The Inquisitor chuckles as moves to the side of the bed to where she is perched, she drops her eyes smiling to herself when he places his hands on her bare legs, his palms warm on her skin even through the bandage that covers the mark. “I was trying to be romantic and bringing you breakfast in bed.. But I know I’m a little late for breakfast” He adds catching her eyes with his again when he ducks his head. “But I see you are trying to make a run for it” He laughs slipping his hands down to calves rubbing her aches away with the tips of his fingers.  
  
“I’m not getting very far” Cassandra snorts making him laugh again, she feels like her heart swells at the sound he makes glad that the months of hardship, danger and worry haven’t removed all of his happiness. “Or very fast..” The Seeker sighs closing her eyes for a moment, enjoying his gentle touch. “But I am hungry” She sighs again when he moves his hands to her thighs.  
  
“So get back into bed and I’ll get you something to eat” Lord Trevelyan smirks when he hears the positive noises that escape her lips as he tries to sooth her. “Then I have something else to give you, that you might enjoy” The Inquisitor chuckles giving her his own cheeky grin when she fixes her eyes on his, Cassandra raises her eyebrows in question.  
  
“And what might that be?” Lady Pentaghast asks feeling her breath catch when Lord Trevelyan suddenly moves to stand between her knees; he leans forward until he can rest his forehead against hers. She closes her eyes again when she feels him brush his mouth against the corner of hers making her smile beneath his lips. “Tell me..” Cassandra whispers when he moves his mouth to her ear.  
  
“A nice hot..” The Inquisitor mumbles pressing his lips against her earlobe making her squirm slightly, aching body or not she was still a woman and he was still her man that could leave her feeling weak at his touch. “Bath” Lord Trevelyan whispers as he hears her huff at his words, making him laugh loudly again. “Eat up” He adds smirking as she places her hands on his chest pretending to push him away from her.


	23. A Bed Of Lies

The Seeker lets a quiet sigh escape her lips when she lowers herself deeper into the warm bath letting her body sink until her chin is just touching the surface and she is completely engulfed by the soothing water. She watches the steam rise into the cooler air when the strong sent of herbs, oils, and salts reach her nose drawing her closer to the relaxation she so desperately needs. Her lover had been right that a hot bath was exactly what she needed, she could feel the muscles loosening and her aches subsiding within moments of being in there and she was sure after a good soak she would feel refreshed and ready to face the world again. Cassandra places her hands on the edge of the tub squeezing the wood beneath her palms as she lets the water take hold of her when she sinks further back into it, the back of her head coming into contact with the surface until she is submerged to her cheek bones. Lady Pentaghast sighs again, a much louder and more contended sound as closes her eyes letting the feeling of calm wash over her for a moment.   
  
Cassandra smiles when she hears the faint sound of Lord Trevelyan laughing when he hears the satisfied sigh coming from his Seeker, knowing that he was right about what would make her feel better. She lets herself float for a moment more before pulling herself up making the water splash against the sides. She sits up further so she can watch him as he moves past her and the edge of the tub after having helped undress her and help her into the water making sure she didn’t topple on her uneasy feet. She could see that he was agitated by the way he begins darting around the room trying to tidy up after them, she closes her eyes for a moment trying to focus her mind away from Lord Trevelyan’s noise and to her own breathing and the strong aroma around her. She knew he was worrying as he always did.  
  
“Why don’t you join me?” Cassandra asks when she finally gives up on trying to draw her mind away from him and opens her eyes trying to pinpoint his location in the room. She sees him tidying the now empty tray of food away, removing it from the end of their bed and placing it carefully on the table. She lets her eyes travel over his back, watching him with interest when he draws his injured hand close to his body as if he’s still suffering with the pain and keeps forgetting he shouldn’t be using it.   
  
“You need to relax, I’m sure me being in there wouldn’t very relaxing” The Inquisitor replies when he shuffles around the tub picking up her clothes that have been discarded on the floor, folding them and placing them on top of their trunk. She frowns slightly as his actions knowing he is usually the most unorganised person she knows and it takes a lot for him to voluntarily want to be sorting things and tidying. He moves to open the dresser before glancing over his shoulder to look at her, she can see that he is checking on her wellbeing when he hears that other than the slight sound of moving bath water she is quiet and doesn’t reply.  
  
“I would be more relaxed if you stopped fussing” Lady Pentaghast mumbles letting her hands splash gently into the water, she settles her eyes onto Lord Trevelyan’s face watching him nod as she slides her wet hands up her arms warming them with the water. “I want you in here with me” Cassandra huffs quietly.  
  
“Are you okay?” The Inquisitor asks her, a slight hint of concern behind his eyes she notices. He smiles lightly when Cassandra nods, sinking deeper into the water so it covers her mouth and chin. “It’s okay to not be okay, you know” Lord Trevelyan adds giving her the favourite smile of his that always makes her stomach feel like its doing summersaults. “I know you are a Seeker and I know you have to be strong..” He sighs turning back to the dresser and pulling two towels from inside before closing the door with his hand.  
  
“I’m okay” Cassandra smiles at his words. She knew he would always be concerned about her, probably even more so after everything that had happened, but he was right that she was a Seeker and he was going to have to accept the fact that both of them had to put themselves at risk every day. “I should be asking how you are..” Lady Pentaghast adds as she lifts her hands out of the water to run through her hair.  
  
“I’m okay too” The Inquisitor nods trying to give her a reassuring smile when he turns to face her again, she sees his tired eyes settle on her knowing that there was still a lot going on in his troubled mind that he was trying to not weigh him down. He’d lost a brother, gained another and had a lot of what he knew to be true challenged over the last few days, not to mention the strain that being under the influence of the vial had placed on him.  
  
“You don’t have to pretend with me” The Seeker begins seeing him just smile and shake his head when he picks up a selection of bottles from the top of the dresser and approach the wooden tub. “I’m serious, Ashton” Cassandra sighs placing her hands on the sides. “We only tell each other the truth remember? No matter how much it hurts. Behind closed doors we are allowed to admit we aren’t okay” The Seeker adds, her own feeling of guilt threatening to force its way out of her when she thinks how close she had let herself get to the Commander during their plan to enrage the Inquisitor. She had kissed Cullen and let herself get caught up in the moment of it and her best friend. She was going to have to tell Lord Trevelyan the truth but she had no idea how he would react. The news of Blood Bond had already hurt him and she knew this would be more than he can handle.  
  
“I know.. Only the truth” Lord Trevelyan mumbles quietly “The truth is I love you” The Inquisitor laughs making Cassandra smile, wondering if she would ever get bored of hearing those words come from his lips but knowing he is trying to be dismissive. Lady Pentaghast watches him place the towels carefully onto the stone floor next to the bath along with the bottles of soap and lotions so she can reach them. “Only you.. And all that matters is that you are safe” He adds making her smile again and drop her eyes, she knew she didn’t have any need to worry about him ever loving anyone else but her, but it was always nice to hear him say so.  
  
“Don’t change the subject” The Seeker huffs quietly when she watches him crouch down beside the tub, he places his own hands on the edge and leans over so that he can reach her. Cassandra meets his deep brown pools with her own before letting her eyes close when he rests his forehead against hers.  
  
“I know I don’t have an orderly queue for my affection like you do, but it will always be you” Lord Trevelyan adds as Lady Pentaghast feels the corner of her mouth tug at his words, with all of the problems he was facing and the worries on his mind the one that was still forcing itself to the front was The Commander. Cassandra opens her mouth as she tries to build up the courage to tell him that she’d betrayed him, even if she felt it was the right reasons; but he suddenly continues stopping her from confessing. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it earlier. Cullen makes me uncomfortable“ He whispers when he pulls his head back from hers fixing his eyes on her again. Cassandra lifts her hand from the water placing it on his cheek; she rubs the tip of her thumb against his skin when she watches him lower his eyes from her feeling ashamed of his jealousy and his hurt over the new bond between his Seeker and The Commander.  
  
“I know you love me, even if you don’t say it” The Seeker leans forward and presses a kiss against his forehead trying to sooth his worries, she loved him and that is all he needed to know. She idly slides her hand up to run her fingers slowly through his hair; trailing a finger along his hairline knowing how much comfort he gains from her touch. “I know you love me, every time you look at me..” She adds letting him lean closer still, he places his hands on her cheeks as she smiles when he fixes his eyes on her to prove her words. All Lady Pentaghast sees looking back at her from his eyes is his love for her. “And I know you love me, every time you kiss me..” Cassandra watches his top lip twitch into a smile when he thinks this over.  
  
“I love you more, everyday” Lord Trevelyan whispers making Lady Pentaghast feel her cheeks warm at his words, she moves her hand lower and rests it on the back of his neck drawing him closer to her so she can press her lips against his, ignoring the fact that she is dripping water onto her otherwise dry Inquisitor. “I love you more than he does” He mumbles when he removes his mouth from hers, making her sigh and wrap her arms around him.  
  
“Stop thinking about him..” Lady Pentaghast sighs again feeling him shrug beneath her arms, he wasn’t going to forgive her actions and she knew what she’d done was going to break his heart. Lord Trevelyan had kept things from her but he had never so much as looked at another woman since they’d met. “I love you too” Cassandra whispers trying to keep her voice even as she clings to him tightly, she closes her eyes again letting her head lay against his. The Seeker had done a good job of convincing herself that loving no one and protecting her heart was the best thing she could do, it would keep her safe and stop her from getting hurt. That was until her handsome Rogue fell from the sky. Now she was certain that loving him was exactly what she needed to make her happy and feel complete, no matter the risk of hurt or the constant worry about his well being, Lord Ashton Trevelyan of Ostwick was her everything.  
  
“Does the invitation still stand? The Inquisitor whispers when he turns to brush his mouth against her ear placing a gentle kiss there. She was certain he new he didn’t need an invitation and that she would always want him close but just nods in response watching him untangle himself from her arms. She drops her eyes to his fingers that he moves to the buttons on his shirt.  
  
“I knew you’d change your mind” The Seeker laughs placing her hands on the edge of the tub again so she can lift herself out of the water to reach Lord Trevelyan, leaning forward to crush her mouth against his. He forgets his buttons when her arms go around his neck and he wraps his own around her body, she lets herself get caught up in his kiss trying to banish any worries that he had that she wanted anyone but him. He didn’t need to worry about the Commander when they were together and she had no problem in showing him his concerns were unfounded.  
  
Lady Pentaghast feels her lover slide his hands down her back when she places her hands on his chest, she knows that the dry material of his shirt is getting more soaked the more he holds her against him and the more she trails her hands over his neck and shoulders. She bites back a whimper and closes her eyes when he suddenly removes his mouth from hers and presses it against her neck, she feels his hands move to his buttons again as he quickly undoes them trying to remove his clothing and let his own bare skin come into contact with hers. Cassandra tries to hide a smile when she hears Lord Trevelyan huffing that he can’t get his shirt undone and focus his attention on her throat at the same time. He pulls away from her slightly lowering his eyes to his hands, she notices that his neck is flushed from her kiss.  
  
“The water will get cold if you don’t hurry” Cassandra giggles making him huff again and climb to his feet, she watches him quickly unbuckle his boots and kick them off while he continues to undress himself. She sits back into the warm water again letting it draw her back up to her chin, fixing her eyes on Lord Trevelyan when she feels his eyes on her. The corner of his mouth tugs up when he sees her interest in what he is doing and that he has her complete attention, Cassandra leans her arms against the side of the bath resting her chin on her crossed arms so she doesn’t miss any of him.  
  
“Don’t rush me” Lord Trevelyan grins when he finally gets the last button undone and begins sliding it off of his arms and body, he drops it onto the floor with his boots beginning on his breeches. Cassandra lets her eyes trail down his body trying not to let him see that she spends a few moments longer taking in the sight of his healing injuries that he has accumulated over the last few weeks, a few more scars to add to his already covered body wouldn’t concern either of them.  
  
“I’m not rushing you, I’m enjoying the view” The Seeker returns his smile as she drops her eyes from his and follows his hands to his hips. “Please continue..” Cassandra giggles watching The Inquisitor stop his undressing at her words and pretending that he is suddenly shy. “Unless maybe you need some help?” She adds biting her bottom lip watching him smile.  
  
“I’ve got it” Lord Trevelyan laughs, she watches him discreetly slip the bandage off of his hand, letting it fall to the floor as he turns his palm over in front of him looking at the wound from Cullen’s knife. She sees him tighten his hand into a fist; flexing his fingers testing for the pain she knows is still there. “Cullen got me good..” The Inquisitor sighs when The Seeker watches him wince.  
  
“He didn’t have a choice” Cassandra watches her lover nod slowly, she couldn’t be sure because she hadn’t seen what had taken place but she wanted to know in her heart that she believed Cullen wouldn’t hurt the Inquisitor without good reason. “Come here..” The Seeker adds holding her hand out to him. “Let me see” She whispers as he takes a step towards her again.  
  
“I’m sure you are right..” Lord Trevelyan mumbles giving her a weak smile, he didn’t sound so sure in his response however. Cassandra drops her eyes to his hand when he reaches it out to her; she takes hold of it in both of her hands turning it over to examine it herself. “Do you think I’ll live, Seeker?” He asks with a light tug of the corner of his mouth, she returns his smile when his eyes meet hers.  
  
“Of that I’m certain, My Lord” Lady Pentaghast smiles as she turns his hand over again ducks her mouth to press a gentle kiss against his knuckles. “It will just be another scar to add to our collection and another chapter to our story” She adds pulling him even closer until he leans towards her, she places her hand on the back of his neck drawing his mouth to hers. “Now, get in here before it gets cold” Cassandra sighs against his lips watching him drop his hands to the front of his breeches, he undoes the buttons before taking the material in his hands pushing them down his hips.  
  
The Seeker giggles when she watches him pull back from her, she sees him tugging them further down his legs and stepping out of them so he is free from all of his clothing, he bends and scoops them up throwing them out of the way before placing his hands on the rim of their bath. Cassandra sits back into the warmth again letting the Inquisitor step over and into the water one leg at a time until the level reaches his knees. She wriggles backwards until her back comes into contact with the smooth wood at the end of the bath, so that he can lower himself into the welcoming water in front of her. He faces her as he begins to lower himself to join her.  
  
“That good hmm?” Lady Pentaghast lets a smile creep onto her face when she watches him carefully sink into the tub, letting out his own very satisfied sigh escape his lips as he lets himself be drawn into the depths of the water. She watches Lord Trevelyan stretch out his legs in front of him, as much as his height will allow so that the heels of his feet are resting on top of the edge beside her. He lets his head rolls back and lay against his own end as he closes his eyes, a light smile tugging at the corner of his mouth when he nods his response. Cassandra stretches her own legs to mirror his position when she feels him drop his hand beneath the surface of the water to rest on top of her feet, she sighs when he strokes his hand up her calf. “Ash..” Cassandra begins quietly, watching Lord Trevelyan open one eye at her words.  
  
“Hmm?” The Inquisitor mumbles his reply opening both his eyes to look at her, noticing that she looks like something is bothering her. The Seeker sighs, she had so many questions for him and she wasn’t sure he was going to be able to answer any of them. The Seeker feels his hand pause his gentle touch on her leg when she sees him eye her. “What’s wrong?” He asks sitting up from his reclined position, he reaches out to her guiding her from her end of the bath to his. Lady Pentaghast gladly accepts his arms around her and lets him draw her against his body so she can lean back against his chest.   
  
“How are you coping with all of this?” Cassandra sighs; If it had been her that had been living most of her life on a foundation of lies, she didn’t know how she would manage to untangle them all and remain as calm as Lord Trevelyan was being. He was busy worrying about a man he had no need to be jealous of and not even thinking about the truths that had been forced on him since they’d arrived in Ostwick. She feels him wrap his arms around her tighter as he presses his mouth against her cheek, her hands resting on his that he holds around her body.   
  
“I cant change anything that has happened” Lord Trevelyan sighs against her skin making her close her eyes for a moment, she knew he didn’t need anymore guilt or pressure placed on his shoulders but he had said himself that Daniel was still in Ostwick and still helping his parents learn the truth, that had to mean that Lord Trevelyan had also been told about the real circumstances surrounding his brother.  
  
“But everything you knew to be true was a lie” Lady Pentaghast begins feeling him nod and rest his head against hers, she slides her fingers through his moving their hands beneath the water to keep them warm. “Everything you thought you knew about Henry.. About Daniel.. About Annabelle” Cassandra adds leaning further back against him when he lets go of her hands and slides them up her arms, she rests her hands on his knees just beneath the surface.  
  
“It hurts..” The Inquisitor whispers as if voicing his pain is difficult. “It hurts to know that all of these years things weren’t how I thought they were” He adds placing his hands on her shoulders, she closes her eyes again when she feels him squeeze her aching neck beneath his palms. “I thought Henry was a great man.. I blamed Annabelle for what happened when it was Henry that caused their pain” Lord Trevelyan pauses for a moment as he rubs his thumbs against her shoulder blades, Cassandra bites back a groan when he comes into contact with a sore spot. “I didn’t give Daniel a chance to open my eyes to what was really happening” He sighs.  
  
“Henry manipulated everyone. He lied and had everyone that knew him believing everything he said, you can’t think it was all on you, Ashton” Lady Pentaghast smiles when she feels him lean forward and press his mouth against the side of her neck. “No one is to blame but Henry” Cassandra watches Lord Trevelyan’s toes break the surface of the water as she settles back between his legs, he trails his hands from her shoulders to her forearms making her wish she could be more of a comfort to him.  
  
“I should have seen through his lies, I should have been here to protect Annabelle and my child” The Seeker hears her lovers voice hesitate at his own words. “They needed me and I left them with him. I should have been here to raise Jack as my son” He adds as Cassandra feels him slide his hands back up to her shoulders, he places his hands on her neck massaging his fingers against her skin.  
  
“You didn’t know” Lady Pentaghast whispers feeling his chest lower in another sigh, he didn’t need any other reasons to feel guilty but she understood why he would. He had left them when he had been told to leave Ostwick, but he wasn’t to know the truth about the family he was leaving behind. “You didn’t know he was your son. You didn’t know that she loved you..” Cassandra instantly regrets her words and wishes she hadn’t mentioned it, but Daniel had been more than slightly convinced that Annabelle still loved The Inquisitor.  
  
“I should have forgiven her over Henry. I should have known she wouldn’t betray me. She was just trying to protect me from him..” Lord Trevelyan huffs quietly, The Seeker guessed that he felt uncomfortable talking about Anna with her and what had taken place between them. He knew the truth and he now knew that she was looking out for his best interest when she drove him away. “She had to live this lie because of me. Henry may have forced this life on her, but I did nothing to stop him”  
  
“You cant blame yourself for any of this. You did what you could and you are here now, that’s all that matters” Lady Pentaghast turns in his arms so she can face him, fixing her eyes into his seeing how guilty he looks and the regret of how things have turned out. Cassandra nuzzles her mouth against his cheek feeling him smile lightly beneath her lips.  
  
“It’s too late. The damage is done..” Lord Trevelyan whispers slipping his hands under the water to rest at her waist, The Seeker rests her arms around his neck letting her hands stroke against the hair at the base of his neck.  
  
“It’s not too late” Lady Pentaghast smiles when he places his finger under her chin directing her face to him so he can press a gentle kiss against her mouth. “You all have the chance to make things right. You have the chance to help Annabelle and Jack. You can be the support that they need to go forward. Be the brother that Daniel needs and be the son that your parents need. You have the chance to be a family again” Cassandra adds watching him nod slowly.  
  
“Your right” The Inquisitor smiles at her “They do need me and I do have to support them through this, maybe we all needed the truth so that we could become a family again” He adds making Cassandra pale, she’d asked him for his honesty and that from then on they would remove any lies from their lives, but she still hadn’t told him about her kissing Cullen. “The truth might hurt but the lies are worse” He adds with a nod. She hoped with every part of her that he wasn’t going to declare that he needed to stay in Ostwick and continue the life he had before they had met. She knew it was selfish of her to even think she knew what was best for him and she of course wanted him to support his family, but she also wanted him to want to return to the life they were building together.  
  
“Don’t leave me” Lady Pentaghast chokes feeling the words tumble from her lips before she has time to stop them. She knew she was being selfish but he had to know how she was feeling, no more lies. “Please don’t let me be without you” Cassandra sighs burying her head against his neck when he draws his arms around her again, holding her against his chest. She feels him press his mouth into her hair with a sigh of his own. “I can’t be without you Ashton” She whispers when Lord Trevelyan places his hands on her back. She feels the words on the tip of her tongue and her stomach begin tying itself in knots.  
  
“I would never leave you” The Inquisitor replies brushing his mouth against her trying to sooth her worries that she notices he is taking seriously and there is no usual light laughter in his voice. She wasn’t sure he would be saying the same when he knew. “Blood Bond or not, you are stuck with me forever. You are never going to be without me and I’m never going to be without you” Lord Trevelyan adds when she feels him move his hands to her arms, guiding her back from his body so he can look at her. “If anyone should be considering leaving it should be you after everything that has happened” The Seeker sees him drop his eyes for a moment before directing them back to her face, she sees him shake his head when he sees that she looks upset.  
  
“Never” Cassandra gives him a small smile that he returns, she sighs when he lifts his hands from the water and places them on her cheeks. “You have a family that needs you here” She huffs turning her head closer to his palms, enjoying the feeling of his hands cupping her face.  
  
“I don’t think me being here is what they need. You said yourself they would probably rather turn this room into a library” The Inquisitor chuckles, The Seeker rests her hands on his chest feeling it move beneath her hands as he laughs remembering her words when they were back at Skyhold. “They understand that I am the Inquisitor and that we still have lots to do and they understand that I want to be with you” He adds ducking his head to press another kiss against the edge of her mouth. “I needed to see them and I needed to bring Henry to them, but this isn’t my home anymore” Cassandra watches him nod as he thinks this over, she wondered if he was letting go of the pain that he associated with Ostwick.  
  
“No one would blame you if you wanted to stay. You would have every right to stay here and forget about the Inquisition” Lady Pentaghast watches him nod as his eyes search her face. “I’d understand.. I’m sure we could be happy here if we let ourselves” Cassandra whispers not feeling entirely convinced, his family were wonderful and she could imagine if she tried very hard she could try to be happy living in Ostwick. If he wasn’t planning on them parting ways anytime soon, maybe he would want them both to live here.  
  
“We aren’t moving to Ostwick, Cassandra” Lord Trevelyan laughs making her smile hearing the sound rumble in his chest, she hoped he didn’t think she was being silly but she wanted to know that they both wanted the same thing. “My home is with you Seeker so anywhere can be home if I’m with you” Lady Pentaghast huffs at his words wondering why he was always so sweet to her and why he always had the right thing to say. She leans into his arms again that he engulfs her with, resting her head under his chin. “But..” The Inquisitor sighs dramatically “We do have a family waiting for us at Skyhold too. Our home is Skyhold.. Our life is at Skyhold and we will be raising our children at Skyhold”  
  
“You didn’t ask for any of this” The Seeker whispers against his chest, she closes her eyes trying to stop herself from sobbing knowing she was going to hurt him even more with her truth after everything he had been through. Cassandra knew she was the one person he trusted more than anyone else and that he had struggled to let anyone get close to him and she had betrayed him. Maybe he would see that her intentions had been good, but her actions certainly hadn’t been.  
  
“No I didn’t ask for any of this but I still consider myself the luckiest man alive” Lord Trevelyan smiles when he feels her burry her head into his neck. “Yes, everyone is trying to kill me and we have no idea how long we will have to fight this darkness.. But I have you. The world could continue to fall down around me and I would still thank the Maker for making my life perfect by delivering me to you. You have no idea what you mean to me Cass. You and our baby” He sighs happily.  
  
“I kissed Cullen” Cassandra suddenly blurts out, unable to listen to him pouring his heart out to her and telling her how wonderful he thinks she is any longer. She feels him freeze beneath her body at her words so she knows he has both heard and understood her revelation. “Ashton..” The Seeker sobs feeling him drop his hands from her, not wanting to remove her face from his chest and see his eyes. “Please say something” Lady Pentaghast whispers when she doesn’t hear a response from him but feels his shoulders sink.  
  
“When?” Lord Trevelyan croaks trying to keep his voice steady, Cassandra suddenly feels him place his hands on her arms and push her away from him so that he can move out from beneath her. “When did this happen?” He huffs when she watches him climb quickly out of the bath clearly upset; she hears his wet feet come into contact with the stone as he snatches a towel from the floor wrapping it quickly around his waist.  
  
“After Henry’s funeral” Lady Pentaghast whispers, her own voice beginning to waver when she looks up at Lord Trevelyan, watching him gathering his clothes from the floor with his back to her. She sees his shoulders sink even further at her words and is sure that if she could see his face it would break her heart. “I am so sorry” Cassandra sobs hearing the Inquisitor snort.  
  
“Did you share his bed?” Lord Trevelyan mumbles turning back to her again, he fixes his eyes on her and Cassandra sees that there is no anger behind his eyes just hurt. “Tell me the truth, Lady Pentaghast” The Inquisitor sighs bringing his hand to his face, he rubs the bridge of his nose with his finger closing his eyes tightly.  
  
“No, of course not” Cassandra huffs feeling angry that he would immediately jump to that conclusion, but she tries to push her feelings down and remind herself that he had every right to be questioning her. “It wasn’t like that Ash” The Seeker adds watching him place his hands on his hips and shrug, waiting for her to tell him exactly what it was like.  
  
“Then tell me..” The Inquisitor whispers before he begins drying himself still keeping his eyes fixed on her. Cassandra drops her eyes from his wondering if he would ever understand that she hadn’t meant to hurt him. “Tell me” He snaps when she doesn’t reply. Lady Pentaghast looks back into his face watching that he is beginning to look frustrated with her for not immediately having the answers that he wants. He throws the towel to the floor with another huff, tugging his trousers on but struggling because his skin is still damp.  
  
“You said they explained to you what happened so that we could get you back” Cassandra begins watching him nod slowly. “Daniel told us was the only way to break the vial was for you to kill me. He said we had to make you angry so that you would want to hurt me” Lady Pentaghast sighs watching her lover bite at his bottom lip when he finally pulls his breeches all the way up his legs and fastens them at his waist, he reaches for his shirt shrugging it onto his arms. He was going to flee and not even let her explain what had happened. “I asked Cullen to kiss me in front of you to make you angry. Cullen didn’t know that I was going to be killed, just that he was helping me turn your anger onto me”

“You asked him to kiss you?” Lord Trevelyan mumbles with a shake of his head “You thought that was a good idea considering his feelings for you?” He adds making Cassandra sigh, it did make her sound like she had been unkind to Cullen, and she knew she had been. She just nods her head and lowers her eyes at his question. “Did he force himself on you?” The Inquisitor suddenly asks making her look up at him again, he was giving her the chance to shift the blame onto the Commander and end their discussion now. He was still clinging to the idea that it wasn’t his loves fault and that Cullen was in the wrong.  
  
“No, he didn’t” Lady Pentaghast sighs wishing a hole would open up and swallow her so she didn’t have to talk about this any further and see the hurt in his eyes anymore. “He kissed me..” Cassandra begins watching The Inquisitor pause in his actions of buttoning his shirt; he crosses his arms over his chest directing his eyes at her waiting for her to continue. “I knew I shouldn’t have asked him as soon as he kissed me.. I felt how much he loves me and he told me how much he wishes I’d picked him instead of you” The Seeker adds noticing his stance doesn’t change but she sees him swallow hard.  
  
“You said you kissed him” Lord Trevelyan replies his voice even and cooler than she was used to, nothing like it had been when he had been under the influence of the vial but still clearly he was feeling heartbroken.   
  
“He kissed me and I kissed him back” Lady Pentaghast whispers hearing Lord Trevelyan groan not wanting to hear what she is saying any further, she watches him turn his back on her again and his head drop as he covers his face with his hands. “Ashton I’m sorry, it didn’t mean anything” Cassandra knows her words aren’t going to make it any better. “I was worried about you.. I was scared for our future and I thought it was the only way to make you angry. I got caught up in the moment and it meant nothing” The Seeker raises her voice when she watches him begin shaking his head as if denying what he has heard.  
  
“He promised me” The Inquisitor snaps turning to her. “He promised me he would never kiss you again.. He is supposed to be my friend. He knows I love you,“ Lord Trevelyan huffs scooping his boots up from the floor at his feet. “And you not only let him kiss you, but you reciprocate?” Cassandra hears him sob when he has to voice it himself. “When I’m scared I seek your arms but you seek his again?” Ashton lets out a dry laugh that has no humour behind it. “I know I have hurt you and kept things from you but this? Is this to get back at me for those things?” He asks huffing when he sees her shake her head.  
  
“No” Lady Pentaghast tries to fight back a sob of her own knowing that she would only be insulting and hurting him further by crying herself, he deserved to be upset but she had caused him pain and didn’t deserve to shed a tear at her own mistakes. “It was meant to only be to enrage you but it went too far.. It was my fault, not Cullen’s”  
  
“I can’t believe you defend him. If he had any loyalty to me or to you he would not have let it happen..” The Inquisitor begins making Cassandra sigh; he was still trying to make himself forgive her actions. “I think I’ve heard enough, Lady Pentaghast” Lord Trevelyan nods before moving past the bathtub and towards the door. “Thank you for telling me the truth” He sighs as The Seeker watches him leave.


	24. Forgiveness

The Seeker places one bare foot gently down in front of the other, trying not to make too much noise as she walks silently through the downstairs hallway of the Trevelyan house. Cassandra was unsure where the Inquisitor had fled to after their less than comfortable discussion, but she didn’t want to draw any further attention to herself while she was looking for him. She comes to a stop outside of the wooden door that leads to the glass summer room; the room that she knows the Trevelyan family like to spend time together, wondering if her lover might have chosen to seek the advice of his family rather than lock himself away. Cassandra shrugs her shawl higher up her arms trying to keep warm having dressed quickly after her bath. She’d decided to wait in the bedroom that they had been sharing while visiting his childhood home, hoping to give him some time to calm down and hopefully want to speak to her after she had caused him to flee with her news.  
  
Lady Pentaghast presses her palm against the wood; she remains quiet as she leans forward trying to hear if there is any sign of the family inside the room hoping she would at least find her Lord Trevelyan. She lets a smile tug at the corner of her mouth when she hears the sound of children’s laughter coming from the other side of the closed door, sure that the joyous sound is coming from her soon-to-be Nephews Jack and Elliot and that whatever they are doing has them very entertained. Cassandra sighs, soon-to-be if her marriage to The Inquisitor was still going to be taking place after she confessed to him that she had kissed The Commander Cullen. It had been while trying to anger Lord Trevelyan enough to free him from the Blood Magic of the vial that had possessed him, but it had gone too far and she had been unable to cope with the guilt of not telling him the truth. The Seeker feels herself falter, unable to bring herself to push the door open and enter the room.

“I don’t think you need knock” Cassandra hears his voice at her ear before she is even aware of him standing behind her, he lets out a small laugh when he sees her jump when he speaks. “I’m sorry, forgive me. I forget that I need to make noise to not be so alarming” Daniel Trevelyan smiles at her as she feels his piercing blue eyes meet hers when she turns to face him. “I haven’t spent this much time with actual people since..” Daniel begins before closing his mouth tight, not wanting to recall when he had last lived with others.

“I didn’t hear you” Lady Pentaghast returns his smile, feeling genuinely glad to see that he is still in his family home and that he has been as far as she can see welcomed. She had felt nothing but dread when she had first seen the Trevelyan’s reaction to her inviting the Black Sheep of the family to help his younger brother, The Inquisitor, but she was happy to hear that he had been given the chance to explain what had happened and get his side of the story to the surface. Their eldest brother Henry had hurt a lot of people, the Mage in front of her included.  
  
“I don’t believe I’m the only one creeping around” Daniel gives her a small smile when he drops his eyes to her bare feet and then back to her face making Cassandra blush. “Unless this is a Nevarran tradition I am unaware of” Daniel adds diverting his own eyes towards the door when he hears more laughter from the youngest Trevelyan Lords.  
  
“They are lovely boys” Lady Pentaghast nods gaining his attention back on her but away from her bare feet and her own sneaking. “Jack reminds me so much of Ashton” She adds watching Daniel nod in agreement and give her what she can only interoperate as a sympathetic look. “I was actually looking for him, have you seen him?”  
  
“Jack?” Daniel asks laughing lightly when Cassandra shakes her head. “You are right, he is very much like his Father..” Daniel trails off. “Last time I saw Ashton he was with Annabelle” Cassandra feels her heart sink at his words, even now that she knew the truth about Annabelle it made her feel uneasy even hearing her name. Lady Pentaghast knew that Jack was her lover’s son but she also knew that Lord Henry Trevelyan had manipulated and forced Lady Annabelle to leave the Inquisitor on their wedding day and spend her life with him. A large part of her felt terrible for Annabelle, she’d been forced to live a lie and hurt the man she loved.  
  
“With Annabelle?” The Seeker feels her voice waver slightly at her words but she swallows hard to try and stop the Mage from noticing. “I see..” Cassandra sighs trying to give him a reassuring smile that she was fine.  
  
“They have a lot to discuss I imagine” Daniel Trevelyan returns her smile and places his hand on her arm giving it a reassuring squeeze, much like she had done previously. Of course they had a lot to discuss; they had a child together. “I forgot to say how good it is to see you up and about.. We were worried about you for a while there. I’m glad to see that you are recovering after everything that happened” Daniel adds as Cassandra feels his eyes taking in her face, wondering why she always felt so vulnerable under his gaze.  
  
“And I forgot to say thank you for everything you did to save me and to save Ashton” The Seeker sees him smile at her words, clearly happy that he had helped them in some way and been able to help his family. “Although binding me to The Commander..” Cassandra sighs making Daniel laugh.  
  
“Cullen is a good man..” Daniel squeezes her arm again before dropping it back to his waist. “He’s just very attached to you” Daniel laughs. “But he didn’t know what was going to happen to him when he placed his blood into that vial, he risked himself for both of you. I believe the three of you are very lucky to have each other and all care so deeply about each other” Daniel nods as Cassandra feels herself mull over his words, she wasn’t sure the three of them would ever be able to be truly friends while such complicated emotions were involved. “You have three people that would die for each other, that’s a special bond” He adds.  
  
“I guess we are lucky” Cassandra nods feeling the guilt creeping into her again, she knew that her Inquisitor and Commander found it difficult to be friends because of her. The Seeker drops her eyes to her feet trying to get rid of the feeling. She would see them work on their friendship for her sake only for her to cause rifts between them, maybe this would be one rift too many and neither would be able to forgive and forget. The Seeker tries to stop the wave of sadness washing over her; if her and Lord Trevelyan were unable to continue their relationship because of her betrayal, it was going to make life at Skyhold very difficult, especially when their child arrived. A future without The Inquisitor was not something she wanted to even think about.

“Do not look so concerned Lady Pentaghast.. It isn’t healthy for you or your baby to fret so much” Daniel grins making Cassandra fix her eyes on him again, The Inquisitor had clearly already spoken to his brother about Cullen and the kiss. “I can assure you that everything is going to be fine” He adds as The Seeker feels the edge of her mouth twitch into a smile, she hoped so. “He loves you and I know you will have a very long and happy future together”  
  
“I hope you are right” Lady Pentaghast sighs bringing her hand up to rest instinctively on her stomach; their baby was protruding enough now that if you were aware of its presence it was noticeable. She also hoped that Daniel was talking about his brother and her future, rather than Cullen.  
  
“I will let you continue your search for my Little Brother” Cassandra notices the small flash of sadness on his face when Daniel sees her action of covering the growing baby with her palm, knowing how hard it must be for him to think of his own loss of his wife and child at the hands of Henry.

“What will you do now? Will you still need to be in hiding?” The Seeker watches him ponder her question for a moment before his face lights up when he thinks about his future.

“I don’t believe I will need to live in hiding anymore.. The crimes are still linked to my name but a lot of time has passed and most people wont remember what I look like, let alone my name” Daniel smiles wide when he voices his thoughts. “I’m still a Blood Mage and people might still think I’m dangerous, but my family know the truth and we have started to make up for the time we’ve lost” He adds moving his hand to her shoulder. “Maybe I will never truly be free but for now I will stay here with my family and help them heal. Maybe soon I will be able to settle in a new home of my own in Ostwick, or maybe I will continue to travel and find my way to Skyhold” Daniel laughs making Cassandra smile.  
  
“We would love to have you” Lady Pentaghast gives him a positive nod, she was certain the Inquisitor would want his brother to visit them in their own home and see the life they were building. “You are always welcome to stay with us, for as long as you would like” Cassandra adds hearing him sigh happily.  
  
“I will hold you to that, Lady Pentaghast” Daniel smirks as he places his hand on the wooden door to the summer room, he pushes the door open for her not giving her the chance to back out any longer. “I look forward to meeting my new Niece or Nephew” The Seeker nods at his words, she was lucky to have the Trevelyan’s as her new family and she hoped she would still have them.  
  
Cassandra ducks under his arm and into the room, giving him a smile of thanks over her shoulder when she watches him walk away from her, his long coat trailing after him as he strides with purpose. Lady Pentaghast feels herself sigh, she hoped he was right that everything was going to work out. She prayed that this little bump in her and Lord Trevelyan’s relationship was nothing more than that; a small bump and a moment of madness that she had never intended to happen and had never meant to hurt him. Her and Ser Rutherford’s friendship was complicated and fuelled by strong feelings from both sides, but Lord Trevelyan was the one that she was truly bound to with heart, body and soul. The Seeker steps further into the room following the sound of the children chatting happily at the dining table, she fixes her eyes on the current youngest members of the Trevelyan family and see that they are sat with their Grandmother, Lady Louisa Trevelyan.

“Be careful not to spill the icing” Lady Trevelyan laughs leaning across the table to her Grandson’s, not noticing Cassandra stepping quietly towards them. “Here Jack..” She adds as Lady Pentaghast watches her hand the eldest boy a small spoon with a blob of bright red icing on it. Cassandra notices that Elliot is stood on a chair at the table so that he can reach the plate of biscuits that have been set in front of him but that the majority of his icing is all over his hands and face. The Seeker feels herself smile again when she hears laughter coming from Jack when he notices that his brother is busy coating his hands rather than the biscuits he has been given to decorate.  
  
“It’s supposed to go on the biscuits” Jack laughs reaching his hand out to remove the spoon from his younger sibling that is now being shaken violently by the toddler. “Tell him Grandmother” Jack adds placing the spoon down on the table and his own hands onto the wooden surface, Cassandra sees that he is kneeling on a chair of his own and has gone back to focusing intently on his task.  
  
“Don’t you worry about Elliot,” Lady Louisa beams at her dark haired boy, reaching her own hand out to tuck a strand of his unruly hair behind his ear. Cassandra wondered if her Lord Trevelyan’s hair would be just as unruly if he let it grow any longer than his usual close cut and maybe this was the reason he almost always kept it short. “You finish yours” Louisa adds suddenly noticing that The Seeker is close, she looks up at her a large smile appearing on her face when she sees Cassandra.  
  
“I hope I’m not interrupting?” Cassandra asks seeing The Inquisitor’s Mother shake her head that she wasn’t, she watches her jump to her feet as quickly as she is able and move away from the table and to where The Seeker stands. Lady Pentaghast laughs when Lady Trevelyan throws her arms around her drawing her into a warm hug.  
  
“We were so worried about you” Lady Trevelyan whispers hugging her even tighter, a hug that Cassandra gladly accepts and returns from the closest person she had to a mother. She had never heard so many people voice their concern and that they had been worried about her. Lady Pentaghast looks past Lady Trevelyan at the two boys still sat patiently at the table that have noticed her and look excited to see her. “I can’t begin to understand what happened to Ashton for something like that to happen to you, but I’m so happy that you are both safe” She adds releasing Cassandra from the confines of her arms, she places her hands on her face setting her light eyes on her face.  
  
“I’m sorry you had to see me..” Cassandra begins before glancing to Jack who has his complete attention on her and is smiling at her, she stops herself from voicing anything further not wanting to upset the young boy. “I’m sorry for everything” Lady Pentaghast sighs avoiding her eyes.

“You are both alive. That is what is important” Lady Louisa sighs but Cassandra doesn’t hear any disappoint or upset in her voice. “All three of you are safe” Louisa smiles when Lady Pentaghast looks back at her. “I mean if it is true and you are really with child?” She asks as Cassandra feels the older woman searching her face for the answer, a smile appearing that she can’t seem to keep away.  
  
“Yes it’s true” The Seeker laughs when Lady Trevelyan throws her arms around her again almost knocking her off of her feet with the force of her body and arms. Cassandra feels a lump forming in her throat when she hears Louisa manage to sob ‘Oh Cassandra’ and all her worries that his parents would be disappointed with their news removed. “You aren’t unhappy?” Lady Pentaghast whispers when she is finally let go of and has hands on her face again.  
  
“How could we ever be unhappy about such magnificent news?” Lady Trevelyan laughs bringing the back of her hand to wipe her tear brimmed eyes. “Another Grandchild for us and a beautiful gift for you both” She adds with a large smile and a sniff that makes Cassandra laugh at her perfect reaction. “We couldn’t be happier for you and Ashton. You will be such a wonderful Mother and he will be everything you could want in the Father of your child” Louisa smiles making Cassandra drop her eyes at her compliment, she wasn’t so sure she was the maternal type but she was certainly coming around to the idea. Seeing how excited the Inquisitor was about their growing child definitely increased her confidence that they were going to be good parents. She hoped they would be able to get over the problems she had caused them and raise their child together.  
  
“We wanted to tell you. We wanted you both to know before we left but I didn’t feel like the time was right..” Cassandra begins seeing Louisa nod, a look of complete adoration and excitement on her face. “Not when you had such sad news to contend with” Lady Pentaghast adds. “And Annabelle also had the same news..” Cassandra sighs.  
  
“But this is your news, yours and Ashton’s. You should never worry about sharing your excitement with your family. You both being here has given us so much happiness and now we have another addition to our growing family. No amount of sadness could ever remove from how happy we are you and Ashton found each other” Louisa smiles and places her hands on Cassandra’s shoulders.  
  
“He should be here telling you our news..” Lady Pentaghast whispers dropping her eyes to the ground again, she sniffs trying to keep her own sadness from hitting her again. “We wanted to tell you together” Cassandra adds moving her eyes back to her future Mother-In-Law who just gives her a sympathetic nod. “Did he tell you what I’ve done to hurt him?” She asks. If she was going to be honest and remove all lies from their relationship, she was going to come clean completely to her new family.  
  
“Yes..” Louisa sighs as Cassandra feels her stroking her palms against her shoulders trying to offer her some comfort. “I’ve never seen my son so distraught. Even the day I saw his heart broken by..” The Seeker sees her stop not wanting to say Annabelle’s name with her children close by. “He was not as hurt as I saw him today” Louisa begins making The Seeker close her eyes at her words. “But he knows that you love him, he knows that he loves you. Those are the two things that your Inquisitor believes in more than anything and knows it to be true. He knows that you found each other for a reason. He has had his pride hurt more than a few times over the last few days and when Daniel bound you to your friend it hurt him more than he thought it would. Then when you told him..” Lady Trevelyan continues placing her hand on Cassandra’s cheek trying to brush the tears away that she knows might fall. “But he loves you above all else” Louisa gives her a reassuring smile.  
  
“I love him above all else,” Cassandra whispers unable to return the smile when she sniffs trying to keep her voice even. “I didn’t mean to hurt him and I hate knowing that I have. I can’t be without him and don’t want there to ever be a time I’m not at his side. My feelings for him are real and are only for him, not the Commander. I know I am difficult..” Lady Pentaghast trails off with a sigh.  
  
“What if you are? I know my son is difficult at times too. You made a mistake and I know he has too. That is what we do, but it is how we move forward from those mistakes that make us who we are. Yes you have hurt him but I am certain he has done the same to you” Lady Trevelyan whispers as Cassandra watches her turn to look at her Grandsons making sure that they are still behaving themselves and decorating their cookies. “He should never have kept the truth from any of us, but unlike my eldest he has only kept things from us because he thinks he is protecting us” Louisa moves back to the table and reaches for Jack again brushing her fingers through his hair, watching her grandchildren chat happily between themselves. The Seeker realised that the whole Trevelyan family were having to deal with the truth, the truth of the lives they were forced to live because of Henry and the truth about Jack and Ashton being his real Father.  
  
“You don’t need to worry about Jack” Cassandra smiles watching the dark haired, mini Inquisitor look up at her when he hears his name. The Seeker sees Lady Trevelyan turn to look at her again nodding; she understood what she was trying to say without voicing the truth. Jack would be fine and he would still have the stable home life that the Trevelyan’s provided him with in Ostwick, with his brother, his mother and his Grandparents. “But I know Ashton would love for him to visit us at Skyhold, both of them” Lady Pentaghast adds seeing Jack’s face light up at the idea of travelling to a far off place he had never really heard of with his Uncle.  
  
“He would have been a wonderful Father” Louisa Trevelyan sighs removing her hand from Jack’s hair before giving Cassandra a smile when she realises how silly her words sound. Cassandra understood her hint of sadness, she hadn’t known the truth about the small boys parents and she hadn’t known the hurt and distress it had brought her youngest son. “He will be a wonderful Father” She adds.  
  
“I know he will” Lady Pentaghast smiles, she hoped Lord Trevelyan’s mother was right that he would be able to forgive her because above all else, they loved each other. He had lied to her and she had forgiven him so she hoped he could do the same for her momentary lack of judgement. “You should be very proud of him, I’m sure he is the way he is because of you and William” Cassandra sees Louisa smile at her words. “He is a better man than he gives himself credit for” She adds, a much better man than he would ever admit.  
  
“And you are a better woman” Lady Trevelyan laughs. “But just speak to him Cassandra, he isn’t angry with you. He just needs to know you will always chose him” Louisa adds making Cassandra nod. Lord Trevelyan did need to know that blood bond or not she would always pick him over anyone else. “Now, I believe you have a young Lord that would like your attention” Cassandra glances at Jack when she hears her words and sees that he has given up on his icing and is staring intently at her waiting for her to notice him. “Ashton and Annabelle were going to the gardens if you want to find him..” Lady Pentaghast tries to keep the frown from her face, she knew she couldn’t still feel jealous and insecure about Annabelle but she couldn’t help it.

“What have you been doing Jack?” The Seeker asks turning to him, she watches Elliot take advantage of his distracted brother to pick up his spoon and pop it into his waiting mouth. “Are those biscuits?” She asks him looking down at the small heart shaped biscuits that the boys have been carefully decorating with their bright icing.  
  
“Yes” Jack whispers suddenly going shy. “Where have you been?” Jack huffs making Cassandra smile, she looks into his face and sees a frown that she knows too well appear in his eyes. She watches him try not to smile when she looks at him.  
  
“Where have I been?” Lady Pentaghast replies seeing a cheeky smile tug at his mouth. “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you, for days..” Cassandra huffs hearing him laugh at her response. “Did you miss me?” She smiles when she sees Jack nod enthusiastically, the children had had a difficult number of weeks but were still able to keep the innocent happiness that their age rewarded them with.  
  
“I did” Jack laughs jumping off of his chair towards Cassandra who quickly catches him so he doesn’t fall to the floor, she feels her heart nearly burst when she just manages to get her arms around him, wondering if Lord Trevelyan would be angry at her if she broke his son. “Uncle Ashton said you weren’t feeling well” Jack whispers when Cassandra feels him wrap his arms tightly around his middle as if he needs to hold onto her so she can’t go missing again. “He said you have to leave soon” He sighs pressing his cheek into her.  
  
“I’m much better now” Lady Pentaghast smiles when she looks at Lady Trevelyan who is watching the exchange. “But we will have to leave soon, your Uncle and I have very important jobs and things we need to do back at our home” Cassandra adds hearing him sigh again, she places her hand on the back of his head hugging him tighter to her. “But we still have today and tomorrow” She glances down at him when she feels him nod, Cassandra watches Lady Trevelyan take a seat next to her youngest Grandson beginning to clean his hands and face of the sticky icing.  
  
“Why can’t you stay here with me?” Jack asks removing his head from her and looking up into her face making Cassandra laugh lightly again, she untangles herself from the little boys arms and crouches down in front of him so she can get a better look at him.  
  
“We have to get Skyhold ready so you can come and stay with us, would you like that?” The Seeker sees him thinking this over for a moment trying to keep the excited smile from his face and not appear to eager. “I’m sure all of our friends would love to meet you” Cassandra sees the smile creeping onto the boys face.  
  
“Would I have my own room?” Jack smiles wider when Cassandra nods, he laughs happily throwing his arms around her neck again in another tight hug. The Seeker wasn’t sure if promising him his own room in their large and rolling fortress was such a good idea, there were far too many places a young boy could get himself into trouble in Skyhold, but if it would make him happy she was sure they could make a bedroom just for him when he visited.  
  
“You can have a room that looks over the whole of Skyhold and the mountains” Lady Pentaghast laughs holding him in her arms. “But you must promise until you come and visit us that you will be on your best behaviour and make sure that you look after your Mother and your Grandparents.. They are going to need your help to look after Elliot too” Cassandra adds receiving a confident nod from Jack, she had already been told many times what a good boy Jack was so she was sure he would behave on the promise of a trip across the sea.

“I promise” Jack nods again as Lady Pentaghast watches him let go of her, she places her hands on his shoulders looking into his face. “I promise I’ll be good and look after Elliot so I can visit” He adds when Cassandra watches him glance up and over the top of her head. “Can I really have my own room in Skyhold, Uncle Ashton?” Jack asks giving the Inquisitor a small smile.  
  
Cassandra looks up from her spot crouched on the floor and over her shoulder to see that Lord Trevelyan and Lady Annabelle have returned from their walk in the grounds and have found them in the family’s glass room, she immediately turns her attention back to Jack wondering if the Inquisitor was still upset with her and trying to force down any jealousy that she was feeling that he had arrived with Anna. She watches Jack step from foot to foot waiting for the answer to his question and hears Lord Trevelyan laugh at his sons questioning, the warm sound that makes her smile to herself when she hears it.  
  
“Of course you can” Lord Trevelyan replies with a smile in his voice. “You can pick whichever room you would like..” The Inquisitor adds as Cassandra watches Jack beam happily at the news. “But if it’s okay with you, Cassandra and I would like to keep our room. It’s our favourite room, isn’t it Lady Pentaghast?” Cassandra feels herself smile lightly at his words.

“We do have the best room” The Seeker nods looking over her shoulder at him again, finally letting her eyes settle on her lover and seeing that he doesn’t look angry. He gives her a smile that she returns wondering if it would be completely inappropriate for her to throw herself at him and make him forget every reason they had ever hurt each other and remember every reason that they were together. Cassandra watches the scar on his mouth twitch when he smiles at her catching her staring at him.  
  
“Ashton was just telling me about your plan to have your wedding at Skyhold” Lady Annabelle announces making Cassandra direct her attention from the Inquisitors deep brown eyes, to Annabelle’s face. The Seeker waits for a cutting comment and frowns slightly when there isn’t one. “It sounds like it will be a lovely day” Anna adds with a smile. “Maybe we could make the trip earlier and spend some time with you both. The boys would love that” Annabelle nods glancing at Lord Trevelyan and then back at Lady Pentaghast.  
  
“You are always welcome” Cassandra returns her smile, genuinely meaning it too. If Lord Trevelyan was still talking about their wedding, she wanted all of the family to be there to share the day with them. Annabelle was Jack’s mother and nothing was going to change that, if she was willing to try and get along and keep things civil between them, so was Cassandra. Lady Pentaghast drops her eyes to Lord Trevelyan’s hand when he holds it out to her; she slips her hand into his palm feeling him curl his hand around hers letting him guide her to her feet. “We hope it will be perfect” Cassandra nods watching The Inquisitor bite his bottom lip. They hadn’t really discussed much about their big day, they knew they both wanted it to take place in their home but they hadn’t settled on the finer details.

“Why don’t you come and help me get this cleaned up Jack?” Lady Trevelyan calls from the table, beckoning her Grandson to her. “You can help me save these for tomorrow” She adds motioning to the cookies that they have finished covering with the red blobs. Cassandra watches Jack hurry back to the table ready to complete the task that he has been set by his Grandmother, he carefully begins placing them on a plate that she holds out to him while she gathers up the rest of the spoons and bowls.

“Maybe we should leave you to talk..” Lady Annabelle whispers when The Seeker watches Lord Trevelyan glance at Anna. “You have both been through too much..” Anna adds with a slow nod of her head as she drops her eyes from them. “You deserve to be happy and that should be together” Cassandra watches her look up at them again, she fixes her eyes on Lord Trevelyan for a moment before looking to her children. “Come on boys” Annabelle directs to her sons, in a much warmer tone than The Seeker had ever heard come from her before.

Lady Pentaghast lowers her own eyes to her feet, unsure how she feels hearing Annabelle’s words and wondering if she had been overreacting to her presence previously. She was certain that Annabelle had been short with her and had been judging her when they first met, she was certain she had seen her place her hands and mouth on her Inquisitor, but she was also certain that she hadn’t known the whole truth about the life that Annabelle had been forced to live. Cassandra looks up when she hears Lady Trevelyan getting up from the table and shooing her Grandsons in the direction of the door, the two boys looking back wondering why they are being escorted from the room by their Grandmother. The Seeker smiles to herself when she feels Lord Trevelyan place his hand on her lower back.  
  
“Anna..” The Inquisitor begins making Cassandra look to him when she hears his voice. “Thank you for listening” Lord Trevelyan adds making The Seeker look to Lady Annabelle who just nods and gives him a small smile, she didn’t think she liked the idea of his former betrothed being a shoulder for him to cry on but she had to remember she had been the cause of his upset and maybe Annabelle was the reason he was stood with his arm around her right now. “I meant it when I said that I want to support you, both of us do” Cassandra feels his eyes on her waiting for her to agree with him.

“Any time” Lady Annabelle gives him a large smile trying to keep any hint of sadness from her eyes when she watches Lord Trevelyan gaze at the Seeker. “I appreciate it” She adds bending slightly as she moves to follow her children from the room.

Lady Pentaghast feels Lord Trevelyan drop his hand from her back as she watches him making sure that his family have left the room and closed the door behind them, following his line of sight to see that they are giving them some privacy and letting them talk alone. Cassandra feels the questions sitting on the tip of her tongue, she desperately wanted to ask him why he had been thanking Annabelle and why he had such a change of heart after she had hurt him so much, but when he sighs she forgets them for a moment. The Seeker watches The Inquisitor move away from her, he turns to perch on the edge of the dining table bringing his hands up to run over his face.  
  
“Ashton” Cassandra begins watching him drop his hands in front of him, he pokes at the bandage on his hand with one finger testing for pain. She sees him move to place his palms flat against the wooden surface that he leans against, she feels her stomach knot wondering if he had been pretending that everything was fine between them to stop more questions being placed upon him by his family. “You have to know how sorry I am” The Seeker sighs watching Lord Trevelyan drop his eyes to his boots.  
  
“Why are you apologising to me?” The Inquisitor replies glancing up at her, his eyes watching the way she begins wringing her hands in front of her. “I should be apologising to you” He adds making Cassandra lift her eyebrows in surprise, she almost instinctively looks to his throat for a vile that she knows is no longer there and wouldn’t be causing him to say things out of character anymore.  
  
“But I betrayed your trust..” Lady Pentaghast croaks feeling the words catch in her throat, she sees him shake his head and let his eyes meet hers. “I lied to you” She whispers seeing the corner of his mouth lift.  
  
“And I lied to you.. I betrayed your trust” Lord Trevelyan huffs. “I’ve been selfish and have been thinking about my own feelings and not considering yours. I got caught up in my own jealousy and didn’t think about how scared and alone you must have been feeling..” The Inquisitor continues making Cassandra shake her head, he was trying to make excuses for her actions and blame himself for everything that had happened. “I didn’t consider the things that you had to cope with when I left Skyhold that night.. The pain my actions caused you when you feared for my life. I didn’t know about the hurt you suffered because of me when I was taken by the rage and was so unkind to you. I don’t remember any of it and you do. You had to face all of this on your own because I wasn’t with you, we are supposed to be there for each other through everything but the vial meant I wasn’t. I’m not surprised you wanted to seek comfort and support from someone else, because I was of no help to you. It is selfish of me to think you should only be with me. It was selfish of me to not realise that you have suffered more than I could ever know because you sacrificed yourself for me..” Lord Trevelyan shakes his head suddenly finding it difficult to continue.  
  
“I would do anything for you” Lady Pentaghast closes her eyes for a moment having to think about everything that had taken place, she would do it all again if it kept her Inquisitor safe. Part of him was right though, he didn’t remember what had taken place and he would never have to know what it was like to die at the hands of the one you love most.  
  
“I would do anything for you.. That is why I am sorry for everything that has happened. Forgive me for being jealous, forgive me for hurting you and forgive me for my actions that I couldn’t control but should never have let happen. Do you know what my family made me realise?” Lord Trevelyan asks her making her shake her head. “That our life is too short and the time we have is too brief to let things come between us. You are too good, too loving and too kind to ever have to suffer like you have done because of me..” Cassandra feels herself flush at his words, she didn’t feel like she was any of those things.  
  
“None of this was your fault. It’s my fault you are in these dangerous situations in the first place” Lady Pentaghast huffs. “Even though I don’t believe you need to ask for forgiveness.. I forgive you” She adds watching him nod his head.

“I forgive you, too” The Inquisitor gives her a smile as his teeth find his bottom lip when he thinks something over. “I can’t always protect you and keep you safe but we can a least stay together and do what we can. I need to worry less about my pride and remember what is really important. We promised no more lies, so why don’t we also add in no more jealousy from my part? How about no more being too over protective?” He asks as Cassandra just shrugs, she didn’t think he would be able to keep the one about being over protective and knew she worried about him just as much as he did her.

“You have nothing to be jealous about” Lady Pentaghast sighs when she sees him laugh. “I am yours, Inquisitor” She adds watching his eyes drop to her mouth and then back to hers. “All of those things are things you think hurt me, what about the things that I do that you don’t like? Don’t you want me to change? Stop being so moody? Stop arguing with you? Try to be less sharp with you?” Cassandra sees his mouth twitch into a smile.  
  
“I wouldn’t change anything about you” Lord Trevelyan replies making her huff again, there was plenty about her that she knew displeased him and that he should want to change but she guessed he had fallen in love with her even with her faults and she, him. “I wouldn’t change anything that has happened either. Like you said, it is just another part of our story” The Inquisitor adds holding his hands out to her, offering her to take hold of them. “I love you, just as you are Seeker” He smiles as she lets him wrap his hands around hers trying to be careful knowing his injured hand had still been troubling him.  
  
“I’m sorry about Cullen” Lady Pentaghast whispers watching him nod and drop his eyes to her hands that she places in his. “I never meant for that to happen and I never meant to hurt you” Cassandra adds watching him raise her hands in front of his face, he places a gentle kiss against each knuckle looking into her face. “I do wish I could change that..” She watches him smile lightly and shake his head, she couldn’t change what had happened but she could make sure that they didn’t hurt each other again. He was right, their time was too short and they couldn’t let anything come between them and take away the precious moments they did have together.  
  
“We can’t change anything that has happened, so let us not worry about it anymore. We can have a new start and put all of this behind us so we can continue our life, when he head home it will be with nothing but positivity for our future” Lord Trevelyan ducks his head to fix his eyes on to her when she huffs, he was so wonderful and she didn’t know why she deserved his love most of the time. Even when she could feel the walls about to go up around her heart and she could see the worry in his face whenever she was cool with him, he quickly pulled them down and covered her with the warmth of his love so that she had no choice but to feel adored by him. Whether she thought she deserved it or not, he wasn’t going to stop loving her. “No one matters, but us” The Inquisitor whispers.  
  
“Just us” Cassandra sighs before she decides to take advantage of his inviting arms and the need to be close to him, she drops his hands before she steps into the space in front of him placing her feet between his and leaning her body into his chest. She wraps hers arms around his body, burying her head into his chest feeling the warmth of comfort of him engulf her. Cassandra hears his own happy sigh when he closes his arms around her, his hand resting against the top of her head as the Seeker holds him tightly.  
  
“It didn’t break us apart did it?” The Inquisitor asks with a smirk, as Cassandra shakes her head against his chest. No it hadn’t broken them. “It hasn’t stopped us loving each other has it?” He adds with a laugh making her shake her head again. No she definitely loved the Inquisitor with every fibre of her being. She feels him squeeze her tighter before sliding his palms up to her shoulders guiding her back from his body, Cassandra watches the warm brown pools search her face as if he is thinking again.  
  
“What is it?” The Seeker whispers, her words not reaching her lips as easily when she watches his eyes drop to her mouth. “Stop..” She adds watching a large smile spread onto his face when he looks into her eyes again, she always felt exposed when he was being so adorable and she thought he would be able to hear her heart trying to beat its way from her chest.  
  
“You know he doesn’t kiss you like I do?” The Inquisitor whispers making her sigh in response. Cassandra feels his hands come to rest on her face, the tips of his thumbs carefully tracing the lines of her cheeks. No one had ever kissed her like Lord Trevelyan did, she knew she had felt something behind the Commander’s kiss but it was nothing compared to what she felt from the man watching her so closely. The Seeker didn’t make a habit of kissing a lot of men and she had always laughed at the passages in her romance novels that talked about a woman’s reaction to a mans kiss, she didn’t do swooning.  
  
“No, he doesn’t” Cassandra smiles biting her bottom lip when she watches his eyes lower to her mouth again. “No one kisses me, the way you do” She adds hearing him laugh, she was happy to stroke his ego if it drew such wonderful sounds as that laugh from his chest. The truth was he did make her knees week, he did make her heart feel like it was going to burst, he did make her breath catch in her throat and he did make her desperate for his touch every time he kissed her. The Seeker knew she wasn’t in one of her favourite romance novels but her Inquisitor was much more enticing than any Knight in Shining Armour from its pages, this was much better than any book.  
  
“Then maybe spending the rest of your days kissing me wouldn’t be so bad?” Lord Trevelyan smirks when Cassandra feels him draw her closer to him again; he lowers his head so he can brush his lips against hers softly. “Because no matter what, I love you and nothing would make me happier” The Seeker lets out a laugh at his words, she was sure there were lots of things that made him happier than her kissing him but she had to admit it made her pretty happy too.  
  
“Why must you be so sweet to me?” Lady Pentaghast laughs when her Inquisitor wraps her tightly into his embrace again; she places her arms loosely around his neck letting her head lay against the side of his. “I love you my sweet Inquisitor,” Cassandra whispers pulling back from him enough to press her mouth to his drawing him into her kiss.


	25. A Better Secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello? Hello? Is anyone still there.. Am I coming in loud and clear? I'm sorry.. Don't you hate it when life stuff happens and it's just.. Yeah! Anyways :) 
> 
> Hello, thank you for reading my latest chapter.. Welcome back to anyone that has read before and if you are new WELCOME :D It's been a while! Anyways.. I have maybe two or three chapters left here and then it will be over :( BUT I've been working on something new for these two that I'm fond of and will post soon :)
> 
> Before I go any further I just wanted to say that while I was struggling through a block and things going on in the real world I received the loveliest email I have ever received from a reader called Gel Irelli.. Thank you so much for the kind words and support, i'm so glad you love them as much as I do and like I said I really appreciated you taking time to email me. So this is really for you.. For reminding me I needed to post this chapter!
> 
> I would also like to just say without causing any controversy or hurt to anyone that my thoughts, positive vibes and best wishes go out to EVERY single human being on this planet.. No matter their gender, religion, race, sexual preference, skin colour, state of mental or physical health, country of birth or any other reason people try to divide us.. Basically this world is becoming a very scary place and all I want to share with you all is LOVE. Never give up, never let anyone tell you you don't matter. We will all see a better world in the future if we stand up for what we believe in and don't let those people that might be attacked come to any harm. Love is love is love is love.
> 
> I know its not much, but i'm always here for anyone that needs a friend...
> 
> With love SoF (Char) x

Lady Pentaghast grips the piece of parchment tightly in her hands as she walks, following the gravel path that has been carved through the lush lawns of the Trevelyan estate towards the front gates. She ignores the sound of the stones crunching beneath her boots as she walks, too busy re-reading the letter that has been left for her, trying to understand exactly what it was supposed to mean. The Seeker lifts her head for a moment enjoying the warm sun on her face, she was happy to take advantage of it as long as she could before they returned to the mountains and the snow she was sure will have gripped Skyhold in their absence. Cassandra had woken early that morning hoping to spend a few hours in that blissful place between wake and sleep, dosing in Lord Trevelyan’s arms and pretending for a few hours more that they weren’t going to have to be leaving for Skyhold soon and the long journey that they had ahead of them. They both wanted to get home and they both knew that they couldn’t ignore the dangers they faced as The Seeker and The Inquisitor for much longer, but it had been nice to spend a small amount of time pretending they were just like any other noble couple that could enjoy some peace and each other.   
  
The Seeker places her hand on the tall metal gate, wrapping her fingers around the cool bars and pulling it open enough to slide through making sure to close it tightly behind her with a loud clang of metal on metal. She gives a small smile to the guards that stand vigilantly at the entrance to the interior of the estate as they all stand to attention at the sight of her. Cassandra spots that they are joined by two of The Commander’s own soldiers that have been positioned to protect the Trevelyan’s and their very important guest, The Inquisitor. They were currently safe in Ostwick and had managed to remain almost entirely unnoticed on their visit, but the sight of the soldiers reminded her of the danger. Her lover had many friends but many more foes.  
  
“Good morning Lady Pentaghast” One of the Inquisition Soldiers announces with a bow of his head in her direction, trying to show her both respect for her position in the Inquisition and at Lord Trevelyan’s side. Cassandra sees his smile widen when she looks at him returning his nod, clearly happy that she has noticed him.  
  
“Good morning..” The Seeker replies trailing off into a question of his name, she had tried so hard to remember the names of everyone that had joined the Inquisition but unlike The Inquisitor and The Commander, she was finding it difficult to memorise them all as their ranks swelled. “Forgive me, I don’t recall your name” Cassandra adds knowing he would understand and forgive her ignorance. She could reel off a list of the names of all of the tradesman, requisition agents and skilled workers at Skyhold but the military was Cullen’s domain. She could tell by the way that he fidgets slightly more than the others and the way that he holds himself; he must be one of the newer arrivals into their army. She takes in his appearance for a moment; he looks just old enough to be away from home and can’t have been away for very long. His complexion is still smooth and lacks the weathered and always sun or wind burnt ruddiness that the rest of the Inquisition members posses. She had lost count of the amount of balms and lotions she had handed out to try and protect them all from the unforgiving weather and elements.

“Inquisition Recruit Ramsey, My Lady” The recruit beams again that she has even taken the time to question his name, Cassandra watches him bow his head again as he informs her of his name and rank. She watches his fellow soldier giving him a nudge as if telling him he should be keeping his mouth closed and not be speaking too much to The Seeker. Cassandra knew they still whispered about her and still called her an Ice Queen, but they respected her and they knew that she had worked hard to earn her place.  
  
“Where is your Commander?” The Seeker asks glancing around wondering where her best friend might be, the note she had received hadn’t been very specific of his location but she wondered if his men would know more than she did. “Have you seen him this morning?” Cassandra asks again looking back to Recruit Ramsey.  
  
“Yes Lady Seeker” The newest recruit nods with enthusiasm. “Commander Rutherford and Lord Trevelyan were at the Stables early this morning. They seemed to be very busy and excited.. I believe they are still there” Ramsey smiles with a positive nod ignoring the mumbles coming from his new friends that he is supposed to be seen and not heard. “She asked me a question..” The young recruit hisses at his fellow soldiers. “My Lady” He adds looking sheepish that he has called her she so unashamedly in front of her and forgotten his manners.

“I hope you aren’t bothering Lady Pentaghast, Ramsey” Cassandra hears Cullen’s voice calling behind her before she sees him, she smiles lightly when she hears the sound of his boots as he approaches her. She had managed to smooth things out with Lord Trevelyan the previous day and felt happy knowing that he wasn’t angry with her and that they could forgive each other, what did worry her however was how Lord Trevelyan was going to react to the Commander of his army. He’d been quick to forgive her but she wasn’t so sure his forgiveness would extend to Cullen and that any meeting between them would be a good idea. Ramsey’s statement that the two had been any where near each other concerned her, even more so because they’d been excited. She’d almost expected their to be a dual for her honour.  
  
“N-N-No Commander” Recruit Ramsey stammers, quickly clicking the heels of his boots together to stand to attention. The Seeker watches the others do the same when their Commander moves to join them, she feels him at her side noticing their eyes all fixing on him. “Lady Pentaghast was just..” He adds receiving another dig in his ribs to shut him up.  
  
“Lady Pentaghast was asking about your whereabouts, Commander” The Seeker continues the recruits sentence as she turns to glance at Cullen feeling his warm amber eyes meet hers, his attention removed from his soldiers and completely to her. She lets herself take in a quick inspection of her friend; no visible signs of a scuffle with the Inquisitor, his light blonde hair perfectly in place and his usual smile plastered on his face meant that things might be less volatile than she had imagined. “Recruit Ramsey was being so kind as to let me know where I might find you” Cassandra watches a smile tug at the corner of her friends mouth as he examines her in return.  
  
“Well you found me” The Commander smirks as Cassandra watches him fold his arms over his chest “And for what do I owe this visit on this beautiful day?” He asks her trying to keep an innocent and questioning look on his face that makes her frown, he knew exactly why she was looking for him.   
  
“Maybe we could go somewhere private?” The Seeker sees him nod slowly and glance back to his Soldiers that are still stood as straight and as still as they can, trying to make their Commander happy. Lady Pentaghast had known lots of Commanders, Seekers, Templars, Knight Commanders and lots of men that demanded respect over others in her time and career, but she had only ever met two that seemed to do it so naturally and easily. One of them was of course Lord Trevelyan, who even with his own lack of confidence as a leader had a way with people that made them want to follow him. The other stood at her side and she could completely understand why they called him The Lion, he was strong and powerful even when dressed down in his shirt and breeches.   
  
“Of course Lady Pentaghast” Cullen smiles at her again “At ease men” Ser Rutherford commands, looking back to the guards that Cassandra watches relax slightly at his orders. “Be sure to keep your tongue in check, recruit” Cullen adds looking at Ramsey who just nods silently, Cassandra feels herself smile when she hears The Lion’s gentle tone with the young man. Lady Pentaghast knew he was just being kind and enthusiastic trying to speak to her, she didn’t believe in any kind of divide between the Inquisition’s inner circle and the army but she did know they had to have a chain of command in the military to encourage respect and keep order. The Seeker had been trained all her life to follow commands and she knew sometimes, having someone in charge was necessary.  
  
“Where is Ash?” Cassandra whispers him feeling him place his hand on her back trying to guide her away from his Soldiers, she has no doubt they will be adding anything she says too loudly to the list of things they will discuss with the others when they get back to Skyhold. She knew their soldiers were loyal but they enjoyed gossiping as much as everyone else did in their fortress “I haven’t seen him all morning..” The Seeker sighs as she steps quickly to keep up with Cullen at her side. “I woke up and he wasn’t with me,” She adds looking to the Commander who just shrugs. She watches him lift his hands to brush some unseen dirt from the front of his shirt, avoiding her eyes.  
  
“I haven’t seen him” Cullen mumbles as he bites his bottom lip; she’d never noticed what a terrible liar he was before and was sure this was why he always lost at Wicked Grace. “Not since last night at Dinner” Ser Rutherford adds settling his eyes on her giving her a sly smile.  
  
“Do not lie” Cassandra huffs making Cullen laugh. “Your soldiers told me he was with you this morning, so where is he and why did he leave me this note? It says here he was going to find you..” Lady Pentaghast continues waving the piece of parchment at her friend. “What is going on?”  
  
“How would I know, I didn’t write it” The Commander winces slightly when she smacks the note and the hand that she holds it with, into his chest. He laughs again knowing how much it winds Cassandra up when he is difficult. “I’m not his keeper” Cullen adds rubbing his hand against the spot on his chest as he snatches the parchment from her hand, turning to give her a grin. “What does it say?” He mumbles holding the letter up to his face so he can read it. “The Inquisitor really does have the worst penmanship.. What does that word even say? He really should work on this” Cullen mumbles squinting at the page.  
  
“It says he needed to speak to you and that I need to do what you ask of me” The Seeker sighs watching her friend’s eyes travel over the untidy handwriting of Lord Trevelyan, another smile creeping on to his face. She knew he was trying to rile her. “Where is he?” Cassandra asks again removing the letter from his hands between her fingertips.  
  
“I’m afraid I’m not allowed to share that information with you” The Commander gives her an innocent smile again making her huff, he and Lord Trevelyan were up to no good and it bothered her. She had been so concerned that they would be at each other’s throats this morning but instead they were co-conspirators against her. “But the idea of you doing as I ask, is very appealing” Cullen laughs gently pushing her with his shoulder causing her path to waver as they walk.  
  
“At least tell me he is well? Not angry with me?” Cassandra asks suddenly wondering if something had upset her Inquisitor further, she couldn’t think of any other reason that he would be missing from their bed. She feels Cullen wrap his arm around her shoulders trying to give her a moment of comfort to sooth her worries.  
  
“He’s fine and definitely not angry with you Seeker. You’ll see him soon enough” The Commander pulls her tighter against his side. “He did come and see me this morning and we did have the chance to talk things through..” Cullen begins with a nod as Cassandra watches him drop his eyes to their feet that are now stepping in time with each other.  
  
“Really?” The Seeker asks trying to keep the surprise from her voice, she was glad to hear that the pair had spoken and hoped that their friendship could be saved. Life would be much easier if the two most important men in her life got along and could have a more harmonious relationship. “Is he angry with you?” Cassandra asks feeling him place his hand on her shoulder.

“Have I told you how lovely you look this morning?” Cullen catches her eyes with his again, beaming at her with his usual warmth in his face. Cassandra feels her cheeks begin to redden at his words so gives him another shove again to stop his complimenting her. “You can tell me I look handsome too, if you’d like..” He adds making her tut at his avoidance of her questions.  
  
“You look very handsome” Cassandra sees an even larger smile tug at his mouth at her words, she feels him squeeze her tighter beneath his palm. “Your hair in particular..” Lady Pentaghast laughs waving her hand towards his golden locks receiving a sigh from her friend when he realises she is mocking him. “If you wont answer my questions, at least tell me what you both discussed”

“I apologised and explained that what happened was my fault.. I took advantage of the situation and your sadness. I should have never agreed and I wasn’t being a very good friend to either of you by letting my feelings get out of hand” He adds turning his head to look at her. It hadn’t been his fault at all, yes he had agreed to her plan but it had hurt him to do so. It had been her that had led him on and returned his kiss.  
  
“Cullen..” The Seeker sighs wrapping her arm around his middle, squeezing his waist beneath her hand. “You’ve always been a good friend. You’ve always tried to do what’s best for me” Cassandra hoped that Lord Trevelyan had accepted Ser Rutherford’s apology and that they would be able to return to a more peaceful time between the three of them. She knew how difficult it was for her friend to see her with Lord Trevelyan but she also knew she needed him in her life. Cullen had been there long before The Inquisitor and was too important to her wellbeing to even consider the hurt she would feel without him. The Commander had been at her side since the beginning of their fight, he had supported and encouraged her as she planned to reopen the Inquisition. His love and friendship had been unwavering and unconditional.  
  
“I’m glad you told him and that he forgave you.. He would have been idiotic to throw what you have away. He’s a lucky man and I’m sorry that I’ve ever caused upset” The Commander gives her a small smile that she returns. “I meant it when I said you are my best friend and I’m not going anywhere. I swore I’d protect you and Lord Trevelyan.. I also swore I’d protect your baby. So far I’ve not done a good job of protecting any of you. Especially The Inquisitor” Cullen whispers making Cassandra swallow hard, he had actually nearly killed her lover once and not to mention damaged his hand.   
  
“We have a chance to move on and make things right” The Seeker nods feeling him drop his hand to her shoulder blade, directing her down another of the path through the grounds. Cassandra frowns slightly trying to decide where she is being taken, she had spent the last few days walking and exploring the grounds but was still unable to get her bearings. “Daniel said we are lucky to have each other.. All three of us I mean.”   
  
She sees Cullen nod in agreement at her words and mull over what she has said, she watches him glance into the distance as if checking that they are still on the correct path and that they are walking in the right direction. Cassandra follows the line of his eyes across the estate, feeling him give her a more positive push on her back with his hand to keep her walking.

“Where exactly are you taking me, Commander?” The Seeker asks looking around her, being caught up for a moment in the bright blooms and flowers that are thriving all around them in the gardens. “I thought Ashton was at the stables..” She adds glancing over her shoulder when she sees they are walking in the opposite direction of the stables where she knows their horses are being currently housed.  
  
“He was..” Cullen smirks making Cassandra narrow her eyes at him. “The night you..” The Seeker hears his voice trail off and into an uncomfortable cough; people were not keen to voice the last part of that sentence around her. “That night, you asked me if I trusted you and I told you I did. So trust me Cassandra and you will see soon”  
  
“Fine” Lady Pentaghast huffs, giving in to the fact that she isn’t going to be getting any more information out of her friend. They walk in silence for a moment, Cassandra letting him enjoy some time without her questions and his lack of answers for her.  
  
“Talking of Daniel, he said we might feel different now..” Cassandra feels herself flinch at his sudden words as Cullen stops in his tracks, causing her to pause too. She watches him turn completely to face her, bringing both of his hands up to rest on her shoulders. “Do you feeling anything because of the bond?” He asks when she feels him fix his eyes on her and begin searching her face for the answer she knows he would like to hear.  
  
“Because of the bond?” The Seeker whispers suddenly feeling vulnerable and exposed, she felt uncomfortable that he was even asking the question. “What am I supposed to feel?” Cassandra sighs when he moves his hands to her cheeks, bringing his face closer so he can inspect her.  
  
“Anything.. Probably nothing..” Cullen smiles making Cassandra feel more at ease that he wasn’t being as serious as he had appeared. “You said you felt Ashton and that you felt something.. Don’t you feel anything now with me?” He asks as The Seeker watches him reach into the neck of his shirt and draw out the vial of their blood that he wears around his neck.  
  
“I’m sorry Cullen” Lady Pentaghast gives him a reassuring smile as she drops her eyes to the vial, watching their blood swirl in a beautiful slow dance. “I don’t feel any different. Maybe it was The Inquisitor’s mark and the dark magic that made me feel something with him. The vial was desperate to be close to him and maybe it was that and my own feelings heightened” She adds watching him nod in defeat.   
  
Lady Pentaghast watches him drop his hands from her face and nod, he places his hands on his hips again as he dips his head in the direction they’d been walking to show that he is ready to continue and wont ask anymore questions, even though she knew he would. Even before the bond had been placed upon them she had always felt connected to The Inquisitor, but in a way that she always knew what he was thinking and that they could communicate without words. She knew that was a bond of two souls and her body and mind reaching out to him, knowing he was what completed her. Cassandra’s bond to Lord Trevelyan was natural and created by love, not any false bond caused by magic dark or otherwise. The Life and Blood Bond had been different entirely, she had been certain she had been able to feel his every move. She was sure that she would have been able to pick him out from a large crowd and locate him in the dark when he was under the influence of the vial. When she had been bound to her lover it had felt dangerous, like her senses were warning her of where he was to protect her from him.   
  
“I feel different” Cullen whispers, holding out his arm motioning for her to step closer to him. He smiles when she moves to link her arm through his letting them continue on their path. “I feel.. It’s hard to explain” He sighs making Cassandra bite her bottom lip and direct her eyes straight ahead of her. “It feels like the feelings I had for you have changed. It feels like the feelings I have for you are much clearer now” He adds making Cassandra frown, he had only feelings of complete adoration and love last time they had spoken.  
  
“What do you mean?” The Seeker asks hoping he doesn’t see her frown as she fights down a feeling she wouldn’t let surface, she refused to be disappointed at the thought of losing Cullen’s love.   
  
“I know I love you, but it’s not the same as it was. Before my thoughts were always of you and my love for you. I would lay awake at night desperate to be with you, but now..” The Commander shakes his head trying to voice his feelings. “It feels like I must protect you above all else. It feels like I don’t have to think about you anymore because I can feel you.. Like there is this constant warmth in my chest that I know is you” Cullen huffs again making her smile when she sees the pink hint of embarrassment creeping into his ears, she watches him place his palm against his heart showing her the place that he feels her residing because of the vial.   
  
“You aren’t making sense.. How can you feel me?” Cassandra bites her bottom lip again, she wasn’t sure if him saying he could feel her with him at all times was such a good thing or a progression in the right direction of their relationship. “I don’t feel anything different,” Lady Pentaghast sighs, trying to convince herself more than him. In truth, she did feel different. She had felt it from the moment she had set eyes on him when she’d woken up. Every time he was close or touched her she could feel her nerves tingle as if the blood that was rushing round her body belonged to him. It did feel like he too was a warmth at her very core that she hadn’t been able to put her finger on before.  
  
“It feels like this blood has bound us to protect each other, to always be a support for each other as friends and to love each other as fiercely as lovers would but I know we are not destined to be together. I look at you and before I had felt hurt, jealous and longing, but now I just feel this radiating heat of happiness.. A need to take care of you and see you happy” Cullen pauses for a moment when he watches her nod, Cassandra almost felt like she was taking part in a break up of a relationship she didn’t even know she’d been in. The Seeker knew she should be happy that he finally understood they would never be together. “Annabelle said..” The Commander begins, shutting his mouth when Cassandra looks up at him and narrows her eyes.  
  
“Annabelle?” Lady Pentaghast laughs flatly; clearly they had all been spending too much time with the blonde Lady Trevelyan while she had been sleeping off her death. Cassandra sighs, she couldn’t let her feelings for Annabelle stay the way they were. She had obviously been trying to be kind and she had obviously been trying to make up for everything that had happened.  
  
“Yes.. Annabelle” Cullen laughs. “She’s actually a very nice person..” He adds trailing off when he sees that Cassandra does not look impressed at his words. “What I’m trying to say is that I do care for you and I do love you, but I’m not going to continue to be a problem for you. I know you love Lord Trevelyan and I want you to be happy together” The Seeker blinks a few times trying to remove the tears that are beginning to form, she felt stupid for crying and didn’t even know why she was. She loved the Inquisitor and hearing that she was no longer causing pain to Cullen should make her happy. She had made her choice and that was Lord Trevelyan. “But I guess if you don’t feel anything..” He sighs again. “I must be imagining it”  
  
“I feel it too..” Cassandra whispers feeling him stop at her side again when her words reach him. “The warmth in my chest..” Lady Pentaghast adds taking hold of his hand when he turns to face her again; she lifts it placing it over her heart and her hand over his. “I can feel you here and somehow I know I’m going to be able to feel everything that you are, from now on.. It feels strange” Cassandra sighs seeing him smile lightly; she knew her friend wouldn’t have any complaints about their new bond but she couldn’t let him think it was all from his side.  
  
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Cullen asks, his eyes searching hers for answers as to why she’d kept it from him. “It does at first” The Commander adds giving her another reassuring smile, looking glad that the feelings were mutual. “When I first felt you it scared me.. I felt pain and feelings that I couldn’t link to myself, then when you started to get better it felt wonderful” Cullen adds watching Cassandra nod again. “As soon as Daniel told me that we would be sharing our feelings I knew that they were coming from you and that I didn’t have to be worried about it anymore.. It is just another way for us to take care of each other” Cassandra sighs lightly at his words.

“I struggle with my own feelings” Cassandra huffs making her friend laugh that makes her smile when she hears it. “I struggle to take care of my own feelings and Ashton’s feelings, and now I have yours too?” She adds giving him a look to show she is only teasing him.  
  
“I think you should be more concerned with the feelings from you, I am going to have to deal with. You can be quite moody” Cullen laughs receiving a shove from The Seeker. “He said it wont be everything and not all of the time. It varies between bonds and the strength of the feelings that we are both having.. He said he thinks we could probably learn to direct the feelings to each other if we practiced and focused. It could come in handy if we are ever in trouble..” Cassandra tries to fight back a giggle when she sees Cullen screw his face up as if he is concentrating very hard on sending something to her.  
  
“Nothing..” Cassandra laughs watching him redden with the effort, she places her hands on his cheeks making him stop trying to force feelings to her. “I don’t know if I like the idea of you feeling everything I am.. Some things are private” Lady Pentaghast whispers dropping her eyes from Cullen when she feels her face redden slightly.   
  
“You can keep those feelings to yourself” The Commander chuckles again when she is sure he has seen her blush, she wasn’t shy about her relationship with Lord Trevelyan but she didn’t think Cullen needed to be as involved as that or being able to tell every time she was with the Inquisitor. “Try directing something at me now.. Think of something that makes you really happy” Cassandra feels him take hold of her hand again continuing their walk through the grounds, almost forgetting that she had been so interested in where they were going and where Lord Trevelyan was.  
  
“Like?” Lady Pentaghast shrugs trying to think of all the things that make her really happy. She glances at The Commander who fixes his amber eyes on her again waiting for her to think of something. “Lots of things make me happy.. The Inquisition, good friends, dry boots, my warm bed” Cassandra adds making him smirk at her list of her happy things. “Chocolate, sunny days, freshly oiled armour, and a good book in front of the fire.. ” The Seeker smiles when she hears his loud laugh.  
  
“Those are all good things” Cullen nods “But I think for it to work it has to be the thing that makes you happier than anything else. It can’t just be things that you like, it has to be something so brilliant it fills your whole body with happiness” The Commander adds making The Seeker sigh. That was a big ask to place on just one item, maybe she did just have lots of things that she liked rather than lots of things that she loved.  
  
“Why are we here?” Cassandra asks suddenly realising that they have stopped and have now reached the Trevelyan Chapel in the grounds of the family estate. She lets her eyes travel over the small stone building before looking back to Cullen with a frown. “We should get back to the house..” She adds watching the Commander drop his eyes from hers.  
  
“I’m following orders Lady Pentaghast” The Commander replies as he bows his head slightly and holds his arm out motioning to the chapel. “Lord Trevelyan requests the pleasure of your company this morning” Cullen adds when she looks back to the Chapel feeling confused as to why she has been brought there and where her said Lord Trevelyan is.   
  
“But why here?” The Seeker frowns again feeling the words struggle to leave her lips. “Cullen what is going on?” She asks watching her friend just shrug. “What are you both up to?” Cassandra huffs watching him approach her again, before she can say another word she is engulfed by Cullen’s arms as he pulls her in for a tight hug.  
  
“I know he is what makes you happier than anything else” The Commander whispers when she finally gives in to his embrace and wraps her arms around him in return. “There is nothing wrong with letting yourself be happy and you deserve to be together” Cullen adds squeezing her tightly. “So the correct answer to my question, what makes you happier than anything is?” He laughs beneath her.  
  
“Ashton” Cassandra whispers in return feeling him let go of her, she sees him nod at her answer and give her a small smile that tugs at the edge of his lips. He was right, Lord Trevelyan was what made her happier than anything else and they hadn’t always put themselves or their relationship first. They had a lot of pressure placed on them both and it had made things difficult for them, but she loved him and she knew that he loved her.  
  
“I don’t need to be bound to you to know how much you love him” Cassandra watches her friend nod and smile at her again. “You are lucky to have found each other.. He is lucky to have you and he does know that. Ashton wants to show you what you mean to him and he has a surprise for you..” Cullen adds glancing towards the chapel and back to her face.  
  
“But that still doesn’t tell me where he is or why we are here” She sighs as Cullen places his hands on her shoulders and directs her body towards the small wooden door.  
  
“I told you. Our great leader asked me to bring you here and I am following the Inquisitor’s orders” Cullen laughs as she feels him push her forward with one hand in the centre of her back. “Now, don’t keep him waiting. He doesn’t like to be kept waiting when he has made a request. As his most trusted advisor you especially should know he likes to do things his way” Cassandra feels the colour drain from her face, she had no idea what she was going to be faced with.

“I hate surprises” Cassandra huffs watching her friend approach her again, she sees him pull at the end of a scarf that she had failed to notice tucked into his pocket. Cullen holds it up in front of her face giving her a smile. “No way, Cullen” She hisses watching him frown at her reaction. “I do not do blindfolds..” She adds batting his hand away.  
  
“He requested a blind fold” The Commander laughs making Cassandra snort, she’d never known him to be so willing to follow Lord Trevelyan’s ridiculous orders before. She smiles lightly when she thinks of some of the things her lover had requested the Commander of his armies do when they had first become the Inquisition. Luckily for Cullen, he wasn’t so prone to falling for the Inquisitor’s pranks anymore.  
  
“Since when did you follow his orders so completely?” Lady Pentaghast fixes her eyes on Ser Rutherford, showing him that she has no intention of having the scarf placed over her eyes.  
  
“Since I came to the conclusion that my life might be easier and better for listening to Ashton, once in a while..” Cullen laughs making The Seeker smile at his words, she knew the men were worlds apart and often struggled to find common ground. “Fine, no blindfold” Cullen sighs when he sees her frown again. “But I’m going to need to cover your eyes or he wont be very happy”

“Fine..” Cassandra sighs as she gives him a nod, deciding he isn’t going to reveal what he has been asked to do or go any further until she agrees to at least play along to some extent.  
  
Lady Pentaghast looks into her friends face for a moment more noticing the warm smile that he offers her trying to reassure her, she returns his smile before dropping her eyes to her boots. Whatever they had planned for her, had better be worth the worry that she was currently feeling. Cassandra closes her eyes tightly when she feels Cullen move behind her again, she notices the warmth of his palms as he places one hand at her waist and the other over her eyes. She knew the Commander was probably loving every moment of knowing something she didn’t, she could almost feel his enjoyment of the situation radiating from him.  
  
“I hate surprises Cullen” Cassandra sighs again to herself more than him when she senses him reaching past her to open the door of the chapel while trying to keep his other hand securely over her eyes. She lets him push her further forward with his body, directing her feet with his own until she knows he is guiding her through the small wooden door. Cassandra feels the panic begin to build again threatening to make her retreat out of the chapel as fast as her legs can carry her. She feels Cullen’s hand rest on her waist, trying to comfort her by giving her a reassuring squeeze. She knew he must have felt her begin to panic and begin to push back against him to try and escape his hold.

“Its okay Cass” Lady Pentaghast feels Cullen’s breath at her ear as he whispers to her, noticing that her body has become less cooperative with his trying to lead her into the building. “He’s waiting for you” He adds making her swallow hard and try and dismiss her fear. Lord Trevelyan loved her and she knew he wouldn’t purposely put her into a situation that would bring her distress or harm.  
  
“Ash” Cassandra hears his name squeak from somewhere deep in her throat, not loud enough she thinks to be heard by anyone but herself and Cullen. The Seeker feels her friend direct her further forward and down what she can only assume is the central aisle of the small stone building, her unsure feet scuffing against the stone floor of the chapel as she shuffles with each step. The Seeker lifts her arms, holding her hands out in front of her trying to feel for anything in the dark that might stop her from falling and feeling so unsure of her footing. Lady Pentaghast holds her breath for moment trying to train her ears to her surroundings, hoping that any sound might give away what is happening and why there is so much secrecy.

“I’m here” Lord Trevelyan answers, a hint of a smile in his voice Cassandra notices, suddenly wishing that she didn’t have The Commanders hand over her eyes and she could see his face. “I’ve been waiting for you..” He adds when she is sure she hears the sound of her lover’s boots moving somewhere ahead of her. The warmth of Cullen’s hand moving to the centre of her back draws her attention away from the location of her Inquisitor for an instant when she stops her in her tracks.  
  
“What is happening?” Lady Pentaghast huffs hearing Ser Rutherford chuckle lightly behind her at her annoyance. “Can you at least let me open me eyes?” She asks raising her voice slightly hoping to reach Lord Trevelyan. She hears the sound of him tutting and more scraping of his boots moving across the floor towards her.  
  
“Thank you Cullen” Lord Trevelyan smiles towards the man behind her. “I appreciate you bringing her here..” He adds as she feels the Commander remove his hand from her back and she is sure she feels The Inquisitor step closer to her. “Do you promise to keep your eyes closed Lady Pentaghast?” She notices the warmth of his voice in front of her so instinctively reaches out to place her hands on him, her fingertips lightly brush against what she knows is the front of his shirt.  
  
“I promise” The Seeker sighs when she feels Ser Rutherford remove his hand from its place covering her eyes. Cassandra squeezes her eyes closed tightly hoping to show Lord Trevelyan that she is agreeing to his requests and isn’t trying to peak. “What is so important that you had to kidnap me? Did you not think I’d come here without help?” The Seeker smiles hoping her lover can see it, she hears Cullen move away from her but that he doesn’t leave the family chapel. Cassandra feels a small but distinctive wash of sadness build in her chest as she hears her friend retreating from her and knows he is feeling it in his own heart.  
  
“This could be the most important day of our lives Cass” Cassandra hears the smile tug at the corner of his mouth as he says this, making her smile further and shake her head. She still had no idea what he was planning but she notices that he begins moving around the chapel again as if he is looking for something. “This time at Ostwick has made me realise two things..” Lord Trevelyan adds, his voice suddenly in front of her again.

“What are they?” Lady Pentaghast mumbles, jumping slightly when she feels Lord Trevelyan step closer to her and place his hand over her eyes to check she isn’t trying to look. “Stop” Cassandra laughs batting his hand away from her face but taking hold of it tightly in hers so he can’t move away from her. She feels him squeeze her hand in his as he steps closer to her again.  
  
“Open your eyes” He whispers making Lady Pentaghast begin to open her eyes slowly, unsure what she is going to be seeing. Cassandra blinks a couple of times trying to get her eyes adjusted to the dark of the chapel compared to the bright light of outside. “Better?” The Inquisitor asks as she focuses her eyes on him, her beautiful brown-eyed love smiles back at her. She takes in the sight of him, he looks himself and looks happy to see her.  
  
“Now that I can see you are okay, much..” Lady Pentaghast huffs trying to convince him that she is more upset than she is with his kidnapping attempt. As soon as she sees the smile at his mouth she can’t help but mirror it. “Why are we..” Cassandra begins questioning him until he cuts her off by drawing her into his arms and wrapping them tightly around her body. The Seeker lets herself relax into his arms forgetting for a moment that she still had no idea what he had been scheming with their friend and focusing on the comfort of her love.  
  
“Put him down will you?” The Commander coughs trying to break them apart. “Just get to the bit where you tell her why she is here, before she gets angry” Cullen chuckles making Lord Trevelyan laugh and remove his arms from around her waist. Cassandra looks over her shoulder to their Commander, she sees him nod his head and smile before dropping his eyes to the floor again as if he feels he is intruding on something he shouldn’t be.  
  
“The first I’ve realised since we’ve been here is that I never did this properly..” The Inquisitor begins when she feels him gently move his hands to cup her face, he traces the line of her scar with his thumb, his eyes fixed on hers. She watches him lift her hand to his mouth to press a kiss against her knuckles.  
  
“What are you doing?” Cassandra laughs as she watches her handsome rogue slowly lower himself down onto one knee, keeping her hand clutched tightly in his as he does. She lets herself take in her surroundings of the small stone building, her eyes trailing over the brightly coloured glass windows. She notices that candles have been lit to add to the multi-coloured slices of sunlight that create shapes and patterns on the walls and floor.  
  
“I’m asking you to marry me Cassandra, but this time I’m doing it properly” Lord Trevelyan smiles up at her, she sees him glance past her to The Commander that is still stood not far from them, and then back to her face. “I took so long to do it the first time..” He adds as she sees him bite nervously at his bottom lip. “I never did this properly.. Not the way you deserve” He sighs making her smile and lower her eyes to the floor.  
  
“But we are already engaged” Cassandra laughs reaching her hand out to place against his cheek, he strokes the skin beneath her fingers for a moment watching him nod. “You don’t think I need an out dated tradition of you asking me from one knee to make me happy, do you?” The Seeker gives him a reassuring smile when he looks up at her again, they had never done things traditionally and she wasn’t sure why he was so certain he had to start now.  
  
“But it has made me realise that I offered you nothing more than words and a sweeping gesture..” Lord Trevelyan sighs again. “Being without you is not something I can even think about.. I can’t ever be without you again and I can’t ever come close to losing you, as I did..” The Inquisitor mumbles as if he is suddenly unable to find the right words, something Cassandra is sure he doesn’t usually have any trouble with.  
  
“I feel the same” The Seeker interrupts trying to give him a moment to regain his words, she smiles when she watches him move his weight on his knee as if it is uncomfortable kneeling on the stone for so long.  
  
“Blood Bond or not.. I know we are meant to be together and I want to spend the rest of my days at your side..” Lord Trevelyan continues making her sigh. “I love you more than anything in this world and I promise I will spend everyday trying to make you as happy as you make me. Nothing will ever divide us again and I promise I will never let anything happen to you again. You are my everything Lady Pentaghast and I would so love for you to marry me..”  
  
Cassandra feels the lump forming in her throat when she sees him give her a small smile, he always managed to floor her with the way he so easily voiced what she meant to him. The Seeker blinks and diverts her eyes from him trying to keep him from seeing the tears that are forming, feeling suddenly overwhelmed. She glances to her side where she is sure she hears Cullen fidgeting and restless behind her, having to be witnessing Lord Trevelyan’s words and actions. Lady Pentaghast closes her eyes for a moment trying to ignore the nagging feeling of jealousy that she can feel in her chest, the feeling clearly radiating from Ser Rutherford and being sent to her through their bond. Her friend had lied about his feelings changing and was clearly trying to remove himself from standing in the way of her and the Inquisitor. Cassandra pushes the feelings from The Commander down, she wasn’t going to let the feelings he was currently flooding her with make her resolve waver. She wanted to marry Lord Trevelyan and nothing would change that, she smiles and turns her eyes to Lord Trevelyan again.  
  
“Of course I will marry you” Cassandra laughs as Lord Trevelyan springs up from his position on the floor to wrap his arms around her again, almost knocking her back with the force behind his body. Lady Pentaghast giggles when the Inquisitor lifts her off of her feet. She slips her arms around him letting him hold her, his happiness at her reply clear and making her laugh at his reaction. “I love you” The Seeker sighs, resting her forehead against his as he lowers her back to her feet not releasing his hold on her.

“Maybe I should give you a moment” The Commander announces from the darkness behind them. “This is between you, I shouldn’t be here” Cassandra hears him falter for a second; she didn’t like knowing he was uncomfortable.

“We both owe you a lot Cullen, we want you to be here” Lord Trevelyan replies looking past The Seeker and into the spot she can feel their friend standing. “You saved me and you saved Cass.. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you” The Inquisitor continues, Cassandra notices that Cullen doesn’t immediately reply but hopes that the words have comforted him. The Inquisitor was right, he had saved them both multiple times and he had sacrificed himself for them both.  
  
“Thank you” Ser Rutherford whispers.  
  
“So the second thing I’ve realised since we’ve been here is that life is too short to not be married. We need to get married my Lady and I think we should do it today” The Inquisitor smiles returning his attention to her, she feels his eyes on her face trying to gauge her reaction to his request. Cassandra bites at her bottom lip for a moment trying to decide if he is trying to rile her or is being serious, she places her hands on his face letting the tips of both thumbs trace the line of his lips that he lets tug into a smile.

“Today?” Lady Pentaghast sees him nod as she focuses on his eyes seeing that there is no joking or teasing behind his words. Cassandra is sure she hears another uncomfortable fidget from Cullen behind them and suddenly wishes that he had given them some privacy. She smiles when her lover tilts his head into the palm of her hand, enjoying her warm touch on his face as he kisses the skin beneath his lips. He moves his hands to rest at her waist.

“I can’t bare to go another day not having you as my wife Cass.. We don’t know what the future is going to bring and we don’t know what might happen to us tomorrow.. If anything was to happen to me..” Lord Trevelyan begins, his words rushing from his mouth making her see how heavy it weighs on his mind and how a large of a worry it is for him that something might happen to him.  
  
“Nothing will happen to you” Cassandra hears herself raise her voice louder than she had intended and reply with a huff, she didn’t need to hear him saying the things that she worried about everyday. She watches Lord Trevelyan give her a weak smile and drop his eyes from her, he was scared and she could see it in him.  
  
“I need to know that you are safe and have the security of my name. I need to know that you and our baby will be okay.. If I died..” The Inquisitor continues, his voice almost a whisper. Cassandra feels a wave of anger wash over her at his words, how dare he stand in front of her and talk about dying. Everyone that she had ever loved had been taken from her and she refused for him to be the same.

“You aren’t going to die..” The Seeker hisses feeling him drop his hands from her waist and make a move as if he is going to step away from her. “Ashton” Cassandra adds grabbing his hands in hers so he can’t walk away, her actions gaining her his eyes back onto hers.

“You don’t know that” He whispers giving her the best smile he can muster, Cassandra nods at his words seeing that look of worry she so often saw in his eyes. “Look what happened to my Brother..” He adds frowning for a moment when she sees him thinking about Henry and everything that has happened. They’d almost been parted forever and she knew he was trying to bind them forever, in the best way that he knew how.  
  
“We are going to live very long and very happy lives together. What happened to Henry wont happen to you” Lady Pentaghast whispers smiling lightly when he wraps his arms around her again, she lets him rest his cheek against hers as she strokes his shoulders trying to comfort him. “We will grow old together surrounded by our children” She adds feeling him nod. “Nothing will take you from me.. Not even the Mark” Cassandra feels him sigh at the mention of his hand, the one thing neither of them had any idea how to free him of or to protect him from.  
  
“I want the world to know that nothing can break us” Lord Trevelyan rests his chin into her shoulder as she places a hand on the back of his neck, her fingers stroking the hair at the back of his head.  
  
“I thought you wanted us to be guarded about our relationship? You said yourself, anyone that stands against us could use our relationship as a weakness..” Cassandra lowers her voice again when his own hands move to her hips holding her against his body “I know in my heart if anyone was to use you to hurt me..” She begins before deciding it might be best not to voice exactly what she would or wouldn’t do. She knew in her heart she would do anything for him, no matter what the cost. The Seeker sighs when he goes quiet and doesn’t immediately reply, maybe he didn’t like the idea that she would so easily cast aside her responsibilities. Maybe he thought she was weaker than he’d believed.

“You would always be my priority too” The Inquisitor finally replies making her smile when he removes his head from her shoulder and fixes his eyes on her again. Cassandra watches as he nods at his realisation that she is his weakness as much as he is hers. She places her hands on his shoulders letting them slide down to his chest, letting her fingers slip under the collar of his shirt.  
  
“Then we are safe, Inquisitor” Cassandra laughs when she sees him nod again and a smile tug at his mouth. No matter how weak they felt individually, they could be strong together.  
  
“Does that make me a bad leader because I would throw away everything we’ve achieved to protect you? Does that make me a failure as an Inquisitor because I would always put you above all else?” The Seeker shakes her head lightly and watches him drop his eyes to her fingers that she absentmindedly trails on the edge of the cotton at his chest. “Does it?” He asks her again making her look back into his face.  
  
“Maybe” Cassandra laughs quietly; it probably did make him a very bad Inquisitor if that was how he felt. He she didn’t care; she knew he was the right one to lead them and she knew he was the best person for the job. “But where you would fail as an Inquisitor you would succeed as a Husband”

“Then let me be your husband.. Let me show you I wont ever let you down. No one needs to know but us.. And the Chantry Mother” Lord Trevelyan laughs making her shake her head, she figured he had probably lined someone up to carry out the ceremony if she agreed to marrying him. But maybe this is how they wanted it to be, they had always discussed that their marriage was about them being together and no one else’s business. She had to admit that the thought of becoming his wife made her head spin and her heart want to burst out of her chest with happiness. She knew she had to question him and make sure he wasn’t suggesting it for her sake. In truth nothing would make her happier.  
  
“And The Commander?” Cassandra asks searching her Inquisitor’s face, he was serious about this and very serious about them getting married in secret. Maybe having no one else know until the danger was over would make it something special for them. Something they could share behind closed doors, as Husband and Wife. The Seeker sighs to herself when she realises why Cullen had been asked to bring her to the Chapel all along, he had a role to play in their wedding and no matter what his feelings were for her, he had agreed to it. Lady Pentaghast wondered if this family had dealt with enough secrets, but maybe this one would be forgiven of them. Maybe this was a better secret.  
  
“And Cullen has agreed to be our witness, if you would like him to be. We can still continue to plan our wedding and invite everyone to Skyhold but right now.. I just want it to be us” Lord Trevelyan bites at his bottom lip letting his eyes examine her again, she could see that he was starting to wonder if she was as willing to his idea as he thought she would be. Cassandra drops her hands in front of her letting him take hold of them again, she feels him begin anxiously rubbing at the skin beneath his thumbs. She knew she shouldn’t keep him waiting but maybe he deserved to sweat for a while after kidnapping her.

“Are you sure you do not mind Cullen?” Cassandra finally speaks, glancing over her shoulder to where she knows he is still standing as quietly and as statue like as a man in the military can. “I’m sorry if he talked you into another of his elaborate schemes..” She adds when she sees him step closer to them again, she watches the bright sun from the painted windows bath him in a rainbow light.

“I’d be honoured to stand with you both and see you wed” Ser Rutherford smiles with a nod of his head, not taking his eyes off of her as he moves to their side. “I was happy to be a part of this scheme if I get to see you so happy” Cullen gives her another light smile before turning his attention to the Inquisitor. She lets her eyes travel over his face when his attention is turned away from her. She would never be able to repay him for all that he had done for her.  
  
“Do you have the rings?” Lord Trevelyan whispers towards the Commander of his army drawing Cassandra’s attention back to her lover. She watches as Cullen nods slowly and begins patting his pockets with his hands as if he is looking for where he has placed them, when he has located them he looks back at her and smiles.  
  
“You were so certain I would say yes?” Cassandra laughs as she watches The Commander reach into his pocket and pluck the rings from the safe place he has been keeping them.

“Cass, I love you and this is the one thing in my life I’ve ever been certain about. I know that I want us to be husband and wife and I know that you love me as much as I love you..” The Inquisitor begins as he holds his hand out to Cullen. Cassandra watches her friend reach out his closed fist towards Lord Trevelyan’s waiting hand. She notices that he pauses for a moment longer than he should before dropping the rings into her loves waiting palm.  
  
“Thank you Cullen” The Seeker whispers as she watches him nod again at her thanks but he returns his attention to Lord Trevelyan who pats him on the shoulder in a friendly gesture. Cassandra opens her mouth to say something more to the Commander but he just shakes his head and gives her a reassuring smile that he is fine.  
  
“I also know that I don’t want to waste anymore time without you.. I want to be able to know no matter what happens or where we go, I will be able to come home to you” The Inquisitor getting attention back to him, she feels him place his hand on her cheek turning her chin towards him.

“Well I agree” Lady Pentaghast smiles when she sees the grin begin to appear on his face. “Oh don’t look so pleased with yourself..” She laughs as he just shrugs at her words, of course he was pleased with himself and he had known she would want this as much as he did. “But not because I want the security of your name and you must know some part of me thinks this is just another of your crazy ideas, but..”

“But?” Lord Trevelyan asks, his head tilting slightly in question.  
  
“But I know above all else that I love you and don’t want to spend a moment longer not being your wife.” Cassandra sighs as she throws her arms around his neck in an embrace that he doesn’t get much say in or turn down. She feels him place a hand on her lower back holding her tightly against him. No matter where they went or how long they had to be apart, they knew they would always be able to go home and would be waiting for each other.


	26. Contented Wife

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while.. Real life is getting a bit crazy! I hope you are still out there.. I'm nearly finished with this one :( But I have a couple i'm working on so stay tuned! Thank you so much for reading, you have no idea how much I appreciate all the love and nice comments I've received! I love Cassandra and Ashton and I'm glad you do too :)

There were two things that Lady Pentaghast was sure of. The first was that she was overcome with happiness to be married to Lord Trevelyan. Yes this development was going to have to be kept a secret but they were married, a real husband and wife. They had only been married for on hour, but so far it had been the best hour of her life and she was so far, a very contented wife. They hadn’t had any disagreements as a married couple and she was finding it increasingly difficult to keep the smile from her face every time she looked at her sweet Inquisitor. Her Husband. The second was that Cassandra had no idea how she was going to be able to keep their marriage a secret. She wanted more than anything to dash into the house and the estate and tell anyone that would listen that she had a loving husband to always come home to and that Ashton Trevelyan would always be hers. The Seeker knew that happy endings and ridiculously romantic gestures usually only happened in the books that she read, but her Inquisitor had done a good job of giving her all the romance she had always dreamed of.

The Seeker sighs happily to herself as she looks up to the bright blue cloudless sky above them through the light covering of leaves, the tree that they lay beneath offering them a little shade. They’d decided that they could steal some time away together before they needed to return to the house and finish getting ready for their trip home. Their ceremony had been nothing more than an exchanging of words and rings, with Ser Rutherford as a witness and a Chantry Mother present to bless them and make it official. It had been everything they had needed it to be although Cassandra couldn’t help but wonder how difficult it had been for Lord Trevelyan to not have his family present and in on their secret.

Cassandra feels Lord Trevelyan stretch his arms above his head before tucking one behind him, working some unseen aches from his body that she knows he still has from his injuries and might be suffering with for some time. She nestles her head into his neck again, her hand coming to rest on his stomach that she strokes beneath her palm. She traces the lines of his stomach for a moment hearing him sigh at her touch and place his hand over hers. Cassandra glances up at him; seeing that he has his eyes closed and looks to be enjoying a moment of peace. Lady Pentaghast smiles lightly to herself when she watches him lift their hands to his eye level as he opens them, she sees him smile when he turns her hand gently, taking in the sight of the ring on her finger and the way that the light sets it off perfectly. Cassandra lets herself take a moment to admire her new wedding ring. A beautiful and delicate gold band sits snug to her knuckle as if it has been made exactly to fit her finger and her finger alone. The Inquisitor turns her hand watching the large perfectly cut blue diamond that sits surrounded by five smaller clear ones, sparkle. Lady Pentaghast knew she had never owned anything as beautiful and extravagant as the ring that he had given her today but she loved it already.

“It suits you, don’t you think?” The Inquisitor smiles as he watches it reflect the sunlight. Cassandra just nods at his words hearing him chuckle. “You make me so happy” Lord Trevelyan whispers ducking his head to look at her, his eyes fixing on hers makes the smile creep onto her face again that he mirrors. “After everything that has happened..” He adds drawing her hand to his mouth to press a kiss against the back of it. “Through all the darkness we face..”

“You make me happy too” Cassandra sighs noticing that the brown eyes that he examines her with aren’t filled with as much worry as they usually are, wondering when the last time was that she had seen him looking so happy.

“I’m a lucky man.” The Inquisitor laughs when he sees Cassandra wrinkling her nose at him. He was always so quick to compliment her and even though she never got tired of hearing it, it was fun to rile him. “Luckiest man alive,” He continues as she feels him place his arm over her and to her waist drawing her closer still.

“You have built the Inquisition on more luck than skill, this is true” Lady Pentaghast giggles when she hears Lord Trevelyan snort at her. “You do fall into these situations..” The Seeker laughs as she watches Lord Trevelyan frown at her words, she reaches her hand to his face stroking his cheek beneath her fingers. When he continues to frown at her she leans forward to press her lips against his feeling him smile beneath her mouth.

They were going to have to wipe the tell tale grins from their faces before they returned to their family or their secret wasn’t going to stay that way for very long. Cassandra giggles quietly when he rolls onto his side drawing her closer to him, she feels his hand cup her face directing her mouth to his as he deepens their kiss. She lets her legs tangle with his as he moves her onto her back.

“We should probably return to the house..” Lady Pentaghast sighs quietly when he removes his lips from hers, knowing her words won’t be what Lord Trevelyan will want to hear. She watches him shake his head as he moves to rest against her shoulder. “They will be wondering where we are, Husband” Cassandra adds as she places her palm on his back.

The Seeker feels him sigh as she absentmindedly trails her fingers up to his shoulder blades drawing shapes and swirls through the cotton of his shirt onto his back. Cassandra begins sliding her finger, trailing it in the shape of a heart in the centre of his back hearing him chuckle when he realises what she is trying to draw. She traces the hard lines of his muscles as he shifts his weight to lean up on his arms next to her.

“Five more minutes, then we’ll go” Comes Lord Trevelyan’s reply as Cassandra feels him relax again against her, she places her hand on the back of his head stroking the soft hair at the base of his neck. She feels the large smile on her face again when she feels him nuzzle his mouth against her jaw, his lips as gentle as he can brushing against her skin.

“We need to finish packing” She whispers when she feels his hand move to her waist, he slides his palms down onto her hips making her sigh. “We need to say goodbye to our family..” Cassandra adds receiving a grumble from him. He was obviously very contended to spend the whole day rolling in the grass with her.  
  
“Maybe I don’t want to share you,” The Inquisitor laughs before placing another kiss against her throat. “Ten more minutes.” He adds making The Seeker laugh at his protesting. She had to share him with the whole world, she was certain he could share her for another few hours with the ones that loved him most.

“Every ten minutes we spend here, is ten minutes you don’t have with me behind closed doors” Cassandra giggles when Lord Trevelyan raises his head to look at her, she sees him raise his eyebrows at her in question. “Just think what you can do in ten minutes, My Lord” Lady Pentaghast whispers seeing him smirk.

“Are we talking about ten minutes after undressing you?” Lord Trevelyan laughs giving her the best cheeky smile he can. Cassandra bites her lip trying to resist kissing him. “I thought you said we needed to pack?” He asks leaning up on his arms again so he can look at her.

“Well the quicker we get everything in the trunks..” Cassandra begins trailing off, he understood exactly what she meant and she had no doubt that their packing wouldn’t be taking very long. The Seeker smiles when he rests an arm either side of her again leaning over her, he dips his head to kiss her as he places his palms against the side of her head so he can stroke his fingers through her hair. She wraps her arms around him tightly holding him against her wanting to keep him close for as long as she could.

“Times up, lets go Lady Trevelyan” The Inquisitor sighs as he pushes himself up to a kneeling position between her legs. Cassandra freezes at his words watching a frown appear on his face when he sees the look of confusion on hers. “What’s wrong?” She hears him ask her as she just shakes her head lightly. Lady Trevelyan.

“You called me Lady Trevelyan” The Seeker mumbles trying to process this. After years of her Uncle trying to marry her off to the richest noble or the one with the most power, she’d always shunned and refused to have any part of it. Now here she was willingly married to the man she loved. Cassandra laughs out loud when she sees how confused and concerned her husband looks.

“Well technically you are..” Lord Trevelyan begins as she watches him scratch the back of his head suddenly becoming lost for words. “I mean we’ve never done things traditionally before..” He adds. “You don’t need to be a Trevelyan if you don’t want to” He sighs when she notices he looks upset.

“Of course I want to be” The Seeker laughs as she sits up and throws her arms around him again, he wraps her into another hug pressing a kiss onto the top of her head. “It’s just the first time I’ve heard it.” She adds seeing him smile and nod. Not only was she willingly married to the man she loved, she was also planning on saving the world at his side so that they could settle down into a somewhat of a normal life. “But for now we’ll have to keep with the Pentaghast” She sees him nod again; a secret was a secret. Cassandra knew how respected the Pentaghast’s had once been before her Mother and Father were disgraced. She’d always hoped to regain some of her families esteem that remaining member’s had worked so hard to destroy with their petty squabbling, but right now she was happy to leave the bad memories behind and embrace the love and family she now had in the Trevelyan’s.

“Then lets go, Lady Trevelyan.” The Inquisitor says again making her smile. She nods as she watches him climb to his feet and hold out his hand to her. Cassandra lets him wrap his hand around hers and pull her up from the ground, he slips his fingers between hers reminding her of an action her friend Cullen had done.

“Do you think Cullen will keep our secret?” Lady Pentaghast asks when she lets him lead her away from the tree, following him back towards the Trevelyan house. She places her other hand over theirs smiling for a moment when she realises that the man holding her hand now was nothing like Ser Rutherford. Lord Trevelyan loved her for everything she was, not just an ideal version of herself.

“Do you trust him?” Lord Trevelyan asks glancing over his shoulder at her. Cassandra gives a light nod before dropping her eyes to the ground, suddenly becoming very interested in the grass beneath their feet as they walk. “If you trust him, then so do I” He adds, pulling her gently closer to him so that she is walking at his side and not behind him.

“With my life..” The Seeker mumbles seeing him look sideways at her and fix his eyes onto her face. “Maybe not with yours though” Cassandra laughs when she hears Lord Trevelyan do the same with a loud ‘Ha!’

“Well as much as we don’t see eye to eye” The Inquisitor begins making Cassandra roll her eyes at him; that was the understatement of the year. “We have come to an understanding and things are going to be different going forward” He sighs when she wraps her arms around him, stepping onto her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. She knew he would do anything for her, even make peace with the Commander.

“Did you use the Inquisitor card?” Lady Pentaghast giggles making him snort. She’d fallen for it so many times and she was sure even when the time came that the Inquisition was no longer needed, or he was handing the title over to someone else, he would still try and use it as a reason for people to do as he said.

“No, actually..” Lord Trevelyan chuckles as he wraps his arm around her waist as they walk. “I used the _‘I’m Cassandra’s husband and I’ll break your legs if you ever touch her again’_ card..” He adds making her stop in her tracks for a moment and narrow her eyes at him. He’d definitely used the Inquisitor card, her love wasn’t known for his enjoyment of violence for the sake of violence.

“Liar” Cassandra snorts seeing the grin appear on his face. Lord Trevelyan had been protective of her very soon after meeting each other; he’d always gone out of his way to keep her safe and worried about her. She’d found it frustrating at first and as if he didn’t believe she could take care of herself, now she knew it was just the first way he’d been able to show her he loved her.

“Well I could have” The Inquisitor smirks continuing to walk, pulling her along with him. He wraps his arm around her again as she settles against him, feeling his warmth at her side. “That’s what husbands do isn’t it? Fend off unwanted suitors?” He asks as Cassandra lets her eyes wonder around the grounds for a moment as they enter the gardens and are engulfed by the bright colours and smell of the flowers.

“Thank you for being my Husband” The Seeker replies turning her attention back to him when she realises he has been gazing at her. She drops her eyes from his wondering why he enjoyed spending so much time looking at her. When she glances up at him again he is still watching her but with a lopsided grin on his face. She was sure she’d never set eyes on anyone as handsome as him, especially when his eyes were on her. “I didn’t think I’d ever get married..” Cassandra begins pretending she doesn’t see him frown as she looks at her feet again.

“Why not?” He asks bumping her gently with his hip to get her attention back to him. “I bet you had suitors scrambling to meet with you,” He laughs noticing that she just shrugs beneath his arm.

“When I started sending them away, my Uncle stopped inviting them” Lady Pentaghast whispers with a light huff. Once she’d started sending everyone away, no one visited her, let alone suitors. It wasn’t until she’d left to join the Seekers that she had had human contact again. They’d said she was cold and un-feeling; in reality she was just out of practice. “You know what they used to say about me.. Who would want to marry me?”

The Seeker feels him stop again and turn her to face him; he wraps his arms around her completely letting her rest her head against his chest trying to offer her some comfort. Luckily for her, she knew she wouldn’t have to be on her own again or without people that loved her.

“My life isn’t the only one that would have turned out differently if all of this hadn’t happened” Lord Trevelyan whispers. “And I wanted to marry you, it didn’t take me long to decide that Cass” She feels him cup her face in his hands and turn her face to look at him, he gently brushes her hair away from her face. “It took you a little longer to come around to the idea” He laughs.

“You don’t just marry a man you’ve just met” The Seeker sighs when he presses a kiss against her forehead. “Especially one that just appears from no where.. Even if you think he’s wonderful” She mumbles.

“Even if you think he’s?” The Inquisitor smirks trying to rile her. She huffs when she feels him give her a squeeze. “I didn’t hear you..” He adds lifting his hand to cup his ear to help him hear her response, she sighs grabbing hold of his hand to lower it.

“Wonderful..” Cassandra huffs again while struggling out of his arms and escaping his hold, she watches him cross them over his chest as she steps away from him. It was sometimes hard to think straight when he had his arms around her. “Handsome and Perfect” She adds hearing him laugh, she gives him a light smile when she hears how happy he sounds. She had been the last to know that he’d planned to marry her.

“Surely those are good reasons to marry someone?” He asks tilting his head with his question. He had given her everything she’d ever asked of him. At first it was, what she thought would be, a fleeting and whirlwind affair full of passion that would end as soon as he’d left them and returned to Ostwick. But then when he’d stayed he’d given her romance and wooed her. Most importantly he’d given her what she didn’t know she had been missing and that was a best friend and a soul mate.

Cassandra thinks it over for a moment, what would have happened if she had agreed to marry him sooner? Would they have left the Inquisition and fled together before they got too deep into the fight they faced. His dedication was clear from the start and maybe for all the reasons they tried to keep their relationship a secret, those were the reasons they couldn’t have married sooner. Maybe this was the right moment. She looks at him, letting her eyes fix on his deep brown ones that gaze back at her full of a mixture of love and wanting.

“Come here..” Lady Pentaghast whispers lifting her hand, she beckons him closer with her finger seeing the corner of his mouth lift into a smirk. She watches him uncross his arms and his eyes dart to her finger and then back to her face. “A husband should also kiss his wife, at least once, everyday..” Cassandra giggles when she sees him nod.

“What if we are apart?” He asks her stepping closer to her. She didn’t want to think about them being apart, not ever.

“I will take some in advance,” Lady Pentaghast whispers receiving another nod from him. “Just be sure there are enough to tide me over” She sighs when he is suddenly in her space again and his arms are around her. Cassandra wraps her arms around his neck when he lifts her off of the floor and crushes his mouth against hers, his lips and kiss so full of need and demanding she is sure she can feel the fire spreading through her body. She feels his hands slide to her thighs as he lifts her higher so she can move her legs around his hips. She sighs with disappointment when he breaks their kiss and takes hold of her around her waist, she giggles again when he not very gracefully lowers them to the ground again.

“Sorry Cass” He mumbles when they hit the ground harder than he had intended, he places his palm onto the grass trying to support her. The Inquisitor opens his mouth to offer another apology or a quip but she leans up to press her mouth against his in a hard kiss, her teeth nipping at his bottom lip drawing a groan from deep in his chest. She slips her hands beneath the bottom of his shirt, sliding them up his back when he feels his fingers tuck into her waistband.

Cassandra feels him shift his weight on top of her when she tightens her hold on him, her fingers digging into his back when he drops his mouth to her neck and begins kissing his way down to her shoulder. The Seeker feels her breath catch when she looks down at him, feeling the lust dripping from him when she watches him kneel up between her thighs and fix his eyes on her. He slides his hands beneath her tunic, lifting it higher to expose her stomach and bare skin to him making her giggle. He trails his hands over her sides like he has done so many times before, his warm hands tracing the shape of her ribcage making her feel her pulse throbbing beneath his touch. She rests her hands on his thighs as she watches him move his palms to cover the slight swelling of her stomach.

“Ash” Cassandra sighs seeing him smirk and lean over her again to kiss her. She forces her fingers through his hair desperate to get him closer to her, holding him tight so she can return his kiss with just as much enthusiasm. When he sits back again he moves his hands higher finally covering her breasts, making her arch towards him when he gently massages her with his thumbs. She bites her bottom lip to keep from moaning lightly when he dips his head and presses his mouth against any skin he can reach. He presses gentle kisses around her belly button making her squirm, he tucks his fingers into the top of her trousers again beginning to tug them down from her hips. Lady Pentaghast watches him look up at her again before his expression changes to that of panic.

“Maker..” The Inquisitor huffs, quickly removing his hands from her and rocking back onto his knees. “It’s my Mother” He hisses making Cassandra feel like the colour is draining from her face, she quickly sits up tugging down and replacing her tunic that he had been trying to remove. Lady Pentaghast looks over her shoulder and spots Lady Trevelyan walking through the gardens towards them and then back at her lover, watching him smoothing his clothing.

“This is your fault” Cassandra hisses at him giving him a shove in the chest almost knocking him backwards from where he crouches. He wobbles for a moment on his heels until she grabs hold of hands full of his shirt. “Did she see us?” She whispers when she hears him begin to laugh, she frowns at him. “This isn’t funny”

“It is a little bit funny..” The Inquisitor whispers back to her before quickly leaning towards her kissing her, removing her pout from her face. She narrows her eyes at him wondering if her mouth looked as kissed as his did, she feels him stroke her cheek gently. “Of course she didn’t see us” He adds as he begins climbing to his feet, Cassandra grabs his hand trying to pull him down onto the floor again. If she hadn’t spotted them, maybe they should just hide between the flowers and wait for her to pass.

“Wait until she has returned to the house” The Seeker whispers placing her hand on his shoulder to stop him from moving. She giggles again when he lifts his head trying to see how close she is. “Ashton” Cassandra hisses at him again covering her mouth from laughing when he begins craning his neck trying to see where Lady Trevelyan now is. He holds his finger up to his mouth nodding that she isn’t very far away from their hiding spot.

“My Mother is obviously looking for us,” The Inquisitor whispers when The Seeker strokes her hands up onto his neck. “She can either find us hiding or find us passing some time innocently in the sunshine” He adds as she just sighs. “I don’t think sneaking past and back to the house is an option” Lord Trevelyan places his hands on her arms.

“Cullen was right about you” Cassandra whispers at him seeing the corner of his mouth pull into a smile. “He always told me you would get me into trouble with your ways” She adds with a giggle, she sees him go to open his mouth to argue that he doesn’t have ways so places a finger to his lips.

“I don’t have ways” He laughs when she removes her finger “Just follow my lead, My Lady” The Inquisitor whispers to her before he jumps to his feet, he holds a hand out to her dragging her up next to him. He glances over at her giving her a cheeky smile. Cassandra just shakes her head, sure whatever scheme he is going to come up with wont end well. She lets him grip her hand tightly and quickly step out and onto the path. “Well I personally..” Lord Trevelyan begins raising his voice. “Think that _The History of The Chantry CHAPTER FOUR_ , is my favourite” He shouts receiving an elbow to his side trying to tell him to be less obvious.

“Oh there you are” Lady Trevelyan smiles as she looks over her shoulder suddenly realising that they are now behind her and walking hand in hand through the gardens. “I’ve been looking for you both” She adds as Cassandra watches her inspect them both closely as they reach her, a light look of confusion on her face as to why she hadn’t seen them sooner.

“Mother..” The Inquisitor replies sweetly giving her the best smile he can, he drops her hand as he reaches to embrace his Mother for a moment. “We didn’t see you there” He adds as Cassandra does the same receiving a warm smile and hug from Lady Trevelyan.

“Where have you been?” Lady Trevelyan asks them as The Seeker feels him move back to her side and wrap his arm lightly around her waist, his hand moving to rest on her hip. She turns her head to look at him, fixing his eyes on his mouth as he just smiles. Like butter wouldn’t melt, her husband was good at acting the innocent part. Cassandra wraps her arm around his waist, mirroring him with her own hand on his back.

“Lady Pentaghast and I were just discussing our favourite writing of the Chantry” The Inquisitor begins turning his eyes to her, she feels him squeeze her waist beneath his palm. She was suddenly wishing that she had the blood bond with him again so that she could send him the signals to shut his mouth and stop talking. “Cassandra in particular tells me she enjoys the chapter about the _Purity_ of _Marriage_ ” The Seeker nearly chokes on her breath when she hears his reply and lets out a snort.

“Oh excuse me..” Cassandra says quickly raising her hand to her mouth and nose to cover her laugh. She digs her fingers into his side feeling him move suddenly at her sharp jab. “Allergies” The Seeker adds feeling his Mother’s eyes on her as she gives her a sympathetic smile.

“Oh Ashton,” Lady Trevelyan begins when Cassandra watches her eyes dart to her hand and the beautiful ring that is sat on her finger. The Seeker holds her hand still for a moment wondering if their secret is already no longer just theirs. “You gave Cassandra the ring?” The Inquisitor’s Mother asks with a sniff as she turns her attention to her son. Cassandra quickly takes the moment of her being distracted to drop her hand and hold it behind her. “When did you give it to her?” She sniffs again when Lady Pentaghast watches her eyes begin to fill with tears.

“Today,” Lord Trevelyan mumbles when she watches him shove his own hand into his pocket. He was wearing his wedding band and had forgotten to remove it before they’d started back to the estate. “You told me I had to give it to the woman I intended to spend my life with” The Inquisitor drops his eyes to the floor for a moment when Cassandra looks at him. She hadn’t realised the ring had so much significance and had assumed he had bought it for her in Val Royeaux. She wanted to throw her arms around him and tell him how wonderful his words were but his Mother sounded upset that he’d given it to her.  
  
“I’d assumed you’d given it to Annabelle” Lady Trevelyan whispers as she dabs at her eyes with the back of her hand. The Seeker frowns slightly when she hears this, she wasn’t sure she liked the idea of her ring belonging to Annabelle. He’d given it to her as a sign of his love and their marriage and she didn’t want either of them to think of his former betrothed whenever they looked at it. How could Lord Trevelyan think that giving her this ring, when it had belonged to someone else, could ever be a good idea? “When I never saw her wearing it..” She trails off when she sees how uncomfortable her son looks. “I assumed it wasn’t her style” Lady Trevelyan sniffs again.

“But it’s beautiful” Cassandra wraps her arm around Lord Trevelyan’s waist again making him look at her, she gives him a questioning look but a gentle squeeze so he knows she is there. “It’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. How could anyone not love it?” She adds when she glances at Lady Trevelyan who just nods and gives her a warm smile. His mother definitely wasn’t upset, maybe just overwhelmed and surprised to see her wearing the ring.

“It has been in our family for a very long time, Cassandra” Lady Trevelyan smiles again. Lady Pentaghast feels her watching her closely when she brings her hand from behind her back, glancing down at the way the stones sparkle. “The Trevelyan ladies have worn that ring for generations” She sighs. Cassandra feels a slight tinge of worry when she thinks about that, generations of noble women had worn the ring and managed to not lose or damage it. It would be a lot of responsibility now to keep it safe.

“Maybe you should have it back Louisa..” Lady Pentaghast whispers taking hold of the ring between her fingers beginning to slide it from her hand. “Maybe he shouldn’t have given it to me if it belongs to Annabelle” Cassandra adds twisting the gold band to remove it.

“No” Lord Trevelyan replies as he grabs hold of her hand stopping her from removing the ring. He covers her hand with both of as he turns to face her; she feels his eyes on her as he lifts their hands to place them on his chest over his heart. “This ring belongs to me,” He adds. “My Grandmother gave it to my Mother..” She watches him glance at Lady Trevelyan. “She gave it to me and I have given it to you”

“I can’t wear it if Annabelle has” Cassandra whispers feeling a wave of sadness wash over her. She would rather have never seen the ring than have to give it back to him. He could have given her a piece of string tied in a knot and she would have still worn it proudly because it was from her Inquisitor. Even the idea of Annabelle knowing about the ring and rejecting it upset her.

“Annabelle has never even seen that ring, let alone worn it.” Lord Trevelyan whispers giving her a light smile. “I never gave it to Annabelle,” The Inquisitor adds drawing her attention completely to him. “It didn’t feel right to give something so important to her.” He adds making Cassandra smile. He’d never had with Annabelle what they had. She closes her eyes for a moment when he dips his head to press a gentle kiss against her cheek, his mouth lingering for longer than is appropriate.

“So I can keep it?” Lady Pentaghast asks seeing him nod slowly and the corner of his mouth tug up into a grin. “If you don’t mind of course Lady Trevelyan?” Cassandra directs quickly towards his Mother as she turns to look at her.  
  
“Nothing would make me happier than you wearing that ring Cassandra” Lady Trevelyan smiles making Cassandra do the same. “That is obviously what makes my son happy too” She adds as The Seeker nods in agreement, Lord Trevelyan did talk about how happy he was a lot of the time. She notices that Lady Trevelyan is now taking a lot of interest in both of their hands that are still pressed against The Inquisitor’s chest. The Seeker looks down at his hand that covers hers and the wedding band that is obvious to anyone, especially his Mother. She quickly removes her hand from him, pulling his hand down to his waist.

“Did you get married?” Louisa smiles making Lord Trevelyan let out a sigh and throw his hands into the air; clearly frustrated that what he’d hoped to be able to keep a secret for a while longer was already being found out. Lady Pentaghast watches The Inquisitor fold his arms over his chest not responding to his Mother. “Well?” Lady Trevelyan asks fixing her eyes on her son. Cassandra looks at Lady Trevelyan and sees that she doesn’t look upset or disappointed, just that she is teasing him and playing on his stubbornness.

“I can’t talk about this with you,” The Inquisitor whispers shaking his head. Lady Pentaghast smiles lightly when she sees Lady Trevelyan clap her hands together as if she is going to burst with excitement.

“My Lord..” Cassandra sighs as she looks at him, she takes hold of his arms pulling them down from where he has them crossed over his chest, trying to make him relax and look less defensive. “I don’t think Lady Trevelyan is going to believe you,” She adds stepping in front of him so she can look into his face.

“It was supposed to be a secret. I am putting them all in danger just by being here” Lord Trevelyan whispers, lowering his voice so that he is directing it just to her. He places his hands on her shoulders, slowly trailing them down her arms. “We should never have come here.” He adds looking over her head towards Lady Trevelyan.

“No one knows we are in Ostwick” Cassandra whispers seeing how worried he suddenly looks, the wonderful brief moment of his complete happiness gone right in front of her eyes. She places her hands on his waist trying to sooth his worry. “The darkness hasn’t followed us here. Your Mother won’t tell anyone” Lady Pentaghast gives him a reassuring smile.

“I won’t tell anyone, not even your Father” Lady Trevelyan laughs drawing their attention back to her. The Seeker knew that she loved her son and would do anything to make him happy. “Are you sure I can’t tell him?” She laughs as Cassandra gives her a smile.

“If they find out about us, they’ll know how to get to me..” Lord Trevelyan sighs bringing his hand up to rub the bridge of his nose. “If they believe my family know anything about you, what will they do to get that information?” Cassandra watches him place his hands on his hips and drop his head slightly. “I’ve risked them all by marrying you here for my own selfish reasons. I’ve dragged my family into this danger”

“We are fine Ashton, we have protection here” Lady Trevelyan adds trying to help ease his concerns, she nods trying to convince him of her words. “You haven’t dragged us into anything” She whispers with a sigh.

“They are safe here” The Seeker places her hand on his shoulders, her other one on his face as she strokes his cheek beneath her palm. She lets her thumb trace the scar on his lip making him look at her, she gives him a light smile trying to reassure him that her words were true. They’d wanted to waste no more time in getting married but The Seeker knew he’d also wanted to keep it a secret so that it couldn’t be used against them by their enemies.

“I would have wanted you all to be there..” The Inquisitor raises his head to settle his eyes on Lady Trevelyan who just nods slowly trying to keep the smile from her face. “We both wanted you all to be there but it is too dangerous”

“But we could have arranged something if we’d known..” Lady Trevelyan begins but sees her son just shake his head. “You should have just told me, I wouldn’t have told anyone Ashton.” She adds making him smile and nod again.

“I have to protect me wife and my child,” The Inquisitor mumbles biting at his bottom lip. “We didn’t do it to keep it from you. I know this family has dealt with enough secrets.. I just needed to know that Cassandra and our baby would be taken care of if anything was to happen to me,” He adds as Cassandra watches his Mother’s face  
fall at his words. “I want to spend whatever time I have left with her as my wife”

“Ash” Lady Pentaghast whispers placing her finger to her lips trying to get him to stop talking, she didn’t want him to say things like that in front of Lady Trevelyan. She had already lost a son and she didn’t need to hear about loosing another. Cassandra sees him give her a smile that he appreciated her worry for his Mother.

“If we’d had a wedding here with a guest list full of nobles it would have drawn attention to us all.. We couldn’t risk that. We can’t have the people that are opposing us to come here and use you to get to me. I was trying to protect you as well as us.” Lord Trevelyan sighs again and looks at his Mother who finally allows a large smile onto her face making him snort when he sees how happy she looks. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you”

“I’m sorry you didn’t tell me too, but I’m happy for you both..” Lady Trevelyan whispers as Cassandra watches her approach them. “I do understand that you are trying to protect us and protecting Cassandra” She adds as Lady Pentaghast sees a look of relief in his face that she isn’t upset with him.

“We promise we will still have our Wedding at Skyhold.. One that isn’t a secret” Cassandra replies and watches another large smile appear on Lady Trevelyan’s face as she nods enthusiastically. “When all of this is over and we are safe” The Seeker adds.

“If the danger is so great..” Lady Trevelyan whispers as she steps closer. “Can’t you stay with us? You would be safe here” Louisa gives them both a light smile as she offers her suggestion. Cassandra feels The Inquisitor reach for her hand, he wraps his fingers around hers pulling her hand into his. She knew part of him wanted to take up Lady Trevelyan’s offer and hide with her in Ostwick, if nothing else to keep her safe.

“I wish we could..” Lord Trevelyan replies as he draws his Mother towards him with his other arm, pulling her against him and into a hug. Cassandra wraps her arms around them both. “But we have so much still to do” He adds as he dips his head to press his chin against the top of his Mother’s head.

“Just come back soon,” Lady Trevelyan mumbles squeezing him tightly. “But when you leave make sure you take the trunk with you that I’ve prepared.. There are some things you might want.” She adds as Cassandra watches Lord Trevelyan glance at her and shrug lightly clearly not knowing what she would be sending them back with.


	27. The Guardian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, yep.. That is a picture of Inquisitor Ashton Trevelyan and Cassandra.. Yes he is gorgeous isn't he?! I managed to make that, I am so bad I know haha. I am still looking for someone to make me some art that is better than my attempt! :) I hope the picture hasn't changed anyones mind image of him.. :D Thank you so much to everyone that has been reading this and for the lovely comments and emails I've had.. I'm still pretty new to this and I'm trying to get better :) I don't consider myself a writer, i'm just writing about what I want to read and it makes me so happy so that so many of you love Cass and Ashton as much as I do! I'm working on some new works.. This has one more chapter left.. I'm going to miss it! Thank you for all the love, I appreciate it so much! <3 Lots of Love SoF x

                                                           
  
  
Lady Pentaghast sighs quietly as she focuses her ears and listens to the gentle rhythmic patter of the rain as it drips from somewhere above their tent and the canopy of trees that they have made camp under, onto the thick canvas material of their shelter. The steady thump of the large drops of rain against their tent making her wish they were back at Skyhold in the warm and dry, under a real roof and behind warming and protective walls rather than still on the road. They were still four days riding before they would reach the end of the mountain trail and their home, but the further they got into the mountains the worse the weather was going to get. Soon the rain and cold would be replaced by snow and howling winds, and she wasn’t sure what was worse.  
  
Cassandra shivers slightly at the thought, her time in The Seekers and The Inquisition had meant she had spent a lot of time out in the field and in pop up shelters and beds, but more recently her life at Skyhold had left her spoilt and she had become much more accustomed to a nice warm and incredibly soft bed. Lady Pentaghast had no idea how she had ever managed to sleep out in the elements when she didn’t have her Lord Trevelyan to keep her warm. The nights spent miserable, cold and packed in with as many of her Order as would fit seemed like a distant memory and another life away. She fixes her eyes into the darkness at her side, trying to focus on the rhythm hoping it will help send her off to sleep and forget about how cold her toes are.  
  
Lady Pentaghast feels Lord Trevelyan stir behind her and wrap his arms instinctively around her tighter, drawing her closer to his body so she is tucked safely beneath his chin and his head is resting against the back of hers. She immediately appreciates the warmth of his chest pressed against her back, the feel of his shallow breath against the back of her head and his arm around her waist wondering how he had managed to fall asleep so quickly when she was still laying awake. It was late, the fire was burning outside and the camp was mostly quiet, so she knew she had been awake for hours. She hears his breath remain even as he continues to sleep deeply, wrapped around her for comfort even as he sleeps. She glances over her shoulder at him, just about being able to make out the shape of his sleeping form and the features of his face in the small amount of light that trickles through the gap in the flap of their small tent from the logs that burn in the fire pit to give them all warmth and safety.  
  
These past few weeks had been hard for them both, he had nearly been taken from her completely because of the mark and the vial and she had almost lost her life at his hands. Him keeping things from her, trying to protect her and not sharing his past with her had almost torn them apart. She had betrayed his trust and left him questioning their relationship but they had forgiven and decided that nothing was as important as each other. Now he slept soundly next to her even though she knew he had a worried mind and his peaceful slumber never lasted very long. She longed for her own mind to settle and her body to stop shivering and allow her to join him in the rest she desperately needed; she still had work to do and a long day ahead of her.  
  
Cassandra turns in his arms to face him in the darkness; leaning up slightly resting her cheek on her hand so can see her sleeping Inquisitor. Her eyes travel over the smooth skin of his face; his lightly closed lids that hide the brown pools of his eyes, the small curve at the corner of his mouth that always begged to be kissed with her own lips, the small furrow at his brow that deepened when he was deep in thought. She couldn’t help but wonder what features of her lover would be passed to their child, would they have his eyes? Would they inherit his kind soul and gentle nature? Would they be driven by loyalty and be loved by those around them? Maybe they would have her stubbornness but his mischief. But he wasn’t just her lover anymore.. She was now his wife. Cassandra smiles to herself as she gazes upon her sleeping husband.  
  
The peaceful look of a contented man looks back at her and she envies him at that moment. With all the pressure that was placed upon The Inquisitor, he was tonight able to sleep knowing he and his family were safe beneath their canvas sanctuary. Cassandra pulls the furs and blankets up tighter around them, trying to keep the cold from waking him and hoping that he’ll get a while longer to rest. She hears the sound of boots outside their tent and the quiet mumble of some of the Inquisition solders talking to each other as they pass and make their way around the perimeter of the camp, making sure that there is nothing out of the ordinary and most likely trying to keep the chill from their bodies. She hears their voices get further away as they move back to the large fire that has been constructed in the middle of the camp. Lady Pentaghast strains her ears trying to listen for any trace of noise or sounds from the tent that has been pitched against the side of their own, where she knows the Commander Cullen will be sleeping. She wonders if he is struggling to sleep too or if the last few days of travelling have left him tired enough to sleep as deeply as her lover, she imagines her best friend and protector curled up under his own set of furs trying to push some of the painful memories of Ostwick away and remind himself that he was happy for his friends and their secret marriage that he had been a part of.  
  
The Seeker wriggles in her position on their makeshift bed trying to get comfortable on the bedroll that they share that is really too small for two people to occupy without getting very cosy, she draws her arms around her body trying to warm herself up as she cuddles into Lord Trevelyan again. She didn’t know if it was his Free Marches blood or something else entirely, but her Inquisitor was always warm and always willing to share his body heat with her. Cassandra lets out a quiet huff when she leans closer still to him, burying her head beneath his chin. She notices the thin leather hanging around his neck, the dark brown of the material laying flat against his chest where his gold wedding band hangs. Lady Pentaghast runs the tip of her finger around his wedding ring watching how smooth and warm it feels from his body. They’d agreed he would wear it on his finger when he could, but they didn’t want anyone to notice him suddenly wearing a wedding band. That was how his Mother, Lady Trevelyan had found out about their secret marriage.

  
“Cassandra..” The Seeker hears The Inquisitor yawn sleepily, obviously having been disturbed by her restlessness and attempting to get close to him to warm herself up. She feels him move away from her when he rolls over onto his back, raising his arm and resting it over his eyes still not fully awake while his other hand rests on his stomach. Cassandra can’t help but smile hearing his sleepy mumble but feeling guilty for almost waking him, he usually called her by her full name when he was either angry with her or she was being sulky, both of which could and often did happen at the same time.  
  
“Go back to sleep” Lady Pentaghast whispers following the movement of his body with her own, not wanting to be away from his warmth for too long and hoping that she can sooth him back to sleep. She cuddles into his side, wrapping her arm across his waist as she rests her head on his chest almost having to lay on top of him to fit into the narrow bed.  
  
“I am asleep” The Seeker hears him sigh and feels his chest lower beneath her cheek as his breath evens again. “Whatswrong..” The Seeker hears his words trail into each other when he yawns again, his arm moving tighter over his face.  
  
“I’m cold..” Cassandra whispers against his skin feeling herself shiver and cling tighter to him, the Seeker could think of plenty of ways she would like to be warmed up by Lord Trevelyan and the majority of them involved them being naked.  
  
“Hmmm” Lord Trevelyan mumbles from behind his arm making Cassandra smile again at his attempt to reply to her even when he is on the edge of sleep. She places her hand on his bare chest, stroking her palms against his skin hearing him sigh at her touch. “What did you say?” The Inquisitor yawns as he drops his arm from covering his face; he rolls over onto his side to face her, moving his arms around her waist when she lets him draw her into his arms pulling her flush against him.  
  
“It’s cold” Lady Pentaghast whispers wrapping her arms around him in return, she feels him place his head against her shoulder when she strokes the back of his head, letting her fingertips run through the hair at the base of his neck. The Seeker presses her lips against the top of his head, nuzzling her mouth against him when she feels him relax his hold on her slightly as he dozes, wrapped around her. “Ashton” Cassandra mumbles against his ear as The Inquisitor relaxes against her threatening to fall asleep again. “Husband of mine” The Seeker whispers, wondering if he would be upset for her waking him, she feels him slide his hands down her back knowing he is awake.  
  
“Shhh..” Lord Trevelyan whispers as he tangles his legs with hers holding her closer to him, Lady Pentaghast closes her eyes for a moment when she feels him lift his head to brush his mouth against her throat. “You’ll wake the camp up,” He mumbles moving his lips to press against hers in a light kiss, making her smile beneath his touch. She was usually trying to keep him quiet and remain discreet when they were in camp, especially when their tent was pressed up against Commander Cullen’s. They would have to be even more discreet if Ser Rutherford was going to be receiving moments of her feelings through their new bond. Especially when Lord Trevelyan would tease her mercilessly knowing exactly what to whisper to her in the dark and how to touch her to make her scream.  
  
“I don’t think that is something you are concerned about” Cassandra whispers when she feels his body shake lightly as he chuckles at her words and rest his head against hers again. “I’m sorry I woke you,” She adds placing her icy hands on his warm chest, feeling him jump slightly at the difference between their body temperatures.  
  
“No you’re not” Lord Trevelyan laughs quietly, bringing a hand up to his face to rub his eyes with the back of his hand. Cassandra watches him blink a couple of times trying to banish the sleepiness from them so he can focus on her in the dark. She loved the vulnerable Inquisitor that was saved just for her at night.  
  
“Well maybe not, but I am sorry about my cold hands” Cassandra giggles quietly when he wraps his arms even tighter around her when he shakes the sleepiness from his head and realises that she is feeling the cold. The Seeker spreads her fingers wide on his chest feeling the strong thump of his heart beneath them, she drops her eyes to the ring that is sitting perfectly on her finger as if it had been made especially for her. Her wedding band was much more intricate than his in design and they knew they would be able to convince people that it was nothing more than an engagement ring that she now wore. Cassandra watches as the deep blue stone sparkles when she moves her hand. A Trevelyan family ring and now it was hers. When she looks back into his eyes she sees that he has watched her brief gaze at the promise they have made to each other in Ostwick. They were bound by something more powerful than a blood bond.  
  
“I can warm those up” The Inquisitor gives her a wry smile, placing his hands over hers and guiding them down to his stomach. She feels his eyes settle on hers before she leans forward to kiss him gently on the corner of his mouth. “You should have woken me sooner..” He whispers resting his hands on her waist, fixing his eyes on her when she realises she has not only woken her Inquisitor but has got his complete attention.  
  
“You looked so peaceful” Lady Pentaghast smiles, one that he returns she can just about see in the near dark. Cassandra watches him nod as he dips his head to capture her mouth with his in a kiss that sends warmth rushing around her body, she feels him tangle his fingers in her hair trying to get her closer to him. The Seeker sighs lightly when her lover guides her onto her back with his body, making her forget all about how cold she is when his large frame covers hers. He places a hand either side of her head as she lets him settle between her legs. The Seeker feels her body instinctively arch into his trying to get closer contact with every part of him.  
  
“Let me get you some more blankets” Lord Trevelyan whispers breaking his mouth from hers and pressing a gentle kiss against her cheek when he lets go of her, she suddenly feels bereft of his body when he slides out from under the furs and out of the small camp bed trying to ignore the creak of the wood when he stands up. She watches him totter on his feet for a moment, his limbs still not fully functional from his sleep she has dragged him from.  
  
“I was perfectly content with your body, My Lord” Lady Pentaghast giggles again watching the naked shape of him begin to rummage around on the floor and through their belongings looking for more blankets, the light from the fire outside just giving her enough to locate where he is. Cassandra watches him pause when he hears boots passing by their tent again and the low drawl of a conversation between a group of soldiers and their laughter.  
  
“I will return my body to you, when I’ve finished finding you another blanket” Lord Trevelyan mumbles when he unbuckles a metal latch on a pack, opening it to see if he can find anything else they can use to keep warm. The Seeker watches him dig around for a moment before pulling another blanket out of the bottom; he discards the bag onto the floor, as he stands up as tall as the cramped tent will let him.  
  
“Is that a promise?” Lady Pentaghast eyes him for a moment, not caring that he notices her gazing at him; she caught him doing the same all the time so it was only fair she got to appreciate the man she adored, especially when they came so close to parting ways. Cassandra fights back the wave of sadness when she remembers how much she had hurt him and how happy she was to be with him now, no more lies or keeping anything from each other no matter how much it hurt. They’d married in secret agreeing that they didn’t want to spend any more time without each other and she wasn’t going to let anything break the promise they’d made. She mouths a ‘thank you’ to him when he pads back towards her.  
  
“Anything else you’d like while I’m up?” Lord Trevelyan whispers making her giggle quietly aware that she can’t make too much noise, she slips out from under the furs and shuffles herself to the edge of the wooden frame letting her own legs hang over the edge. “A snack maybe?” He adds as she watches him crouch down next to their bed, wrapping the extra blanket around her shoulders trying to give her some more warmth. “Better?” Lord Trevelyan whispers.  
  
“Mhmm..” Cassandra nods gazing at her husband, wondering how she ever got so lucky to have found love with a man like him. She wraps the blanket tighter around her body watching him stand up again.  
  
“Is that rain?” The Inquisitor whispers when she watches him glance up at the roof of their tent, hearing the same rain dropping onto the fabric that she had been listening to. He places his hand flat onto the surface of the canvas, feeling the rain beginning to fall harder and faster from the sky above them. He pushes his hand where the material begins to bow under the weight of the water, causing it to rush down the sides of their tent. She lets her eyes take in the sight of the bandage that is still wrapped tightly around his palm from the knife wound from their Commander, she could see it was still troubling him but Lord Trevelyan didn’t do complaining very often.  
  
“We aren’t in the Free Marches anymore. There is still time for us to turn back and return to Ostwick. You said there wasn’t much rain” Lady Pentaghast chuckles trying to keep her voice quiet so not to wake anyone.

“I’d miss the rain if we didn’t live at Skyhold” The Inquisitor glances at her giving her a smile, she knew he loved their sanctuary just as much as she did. “I’d miss the snow too, the warm fires and the extra blankets” He adds making Cassandra sigh, home sweet Skyhold. When they got back the snow would be most likely already beginning to cover the Mountain path, lots of warm fires and blankets would be needed. “And the Sunshine, Cass. Beating through our bedroom window and those days that the sun is so hot we need to hide under our favourite tree..” Cassandra sees him smile again, she didn’t think she had ever heard her lover speak as fondly of their home as he was now, maybe getting some time to visit Ostwick had made him homesick for their Fortress. “I like the months that come before the winter best, those cooler mornings where we get to stay in bed to keep warm” Lord Trevelyan sighs as he steps closer to the door of their tent, she notices him take hold of the edge of the flap between his fingers pulling it back further so he can see outside and watch the rain. Cassandra sees him move his head trying to take in the sight of the quiet camp outside their tent. She hoped the Inquisition soldiers had moved far away enough from their tent that they weren’t going to see him peaking out in all his naked glory.  
  
“I’m looking forward to getting home” Lady Pentaghast whispers when he glances over his shoulder at her, she watches the tent darken again when he drops the fabric from between his fingers. She watches him nod as he fiddles with the flap for a moment making sure its pulled tightly across to keep the rain from getting in.  
  
“I’m rather fond of our little house in the mountains” The Seeker laughs quietly at his words, there was nothing little about Skyhold but she had to agree, she loved it too. Cassandra feels his eyes fix on her as she gazes at him again; there was something comforting about Lord Trevelyan that she could never put her finger on. He made her feel safe and protected, always made her feel loved and cherished, he was there for her no matter what and just his presence brought her more happiness and joy than she could ever imagine. He was her home.

“Come back to bed” Lady Pentaghast whispers “You said I could have your body” She adds seeing the smirk creep onto his face and his eyes slowly travel down her body, she lifts her hand beckoning him to her. “To keep me warm, Lord Trevelyan” She whispers to him with a giggle when she sees him stepping over their belongings and clothes that are strewn across the floor, mainly his from the searching through their trunks and bags before he had received another telling off from her as to why he was always so untidy.  
  
Lady Pentaghast leans towards him when he kneels down next to the bed again, feeling him take hold of the blanket that is wrapped around her in his fists so he can draw her closer. The Inquisitor places his hands onto her bare knees, stroking his palms against her soft skin as he slides his hands higher up her legs making Cassandra’s breath catch when he slips his hands onto the inside of her thighs.  
  
“Has our brief trip across the sea made you so unprepared for cold the weather already?” Lord Trevelyan smirks when she watches him drop his eyes to her mouth again. Cassandra returns his smile when she sees the tip of his tongue dart out to moisten his bottom lip.

“I am married to the Sun.. I don’t need to be afraid of the night or cold when I have you to warm me” Lady Pentaghast feels his eyes return to hers at her words. “You will always give me light and warmth” She places her hand on the back of his neck pulling him closer still until she can press her forehead against his.  
  
“What does that make you, if I am the Sun?” The Inquisitor asks letting go of the blanket from his hands so that he can place both of his palms on her face. Cassandra sighs when he directs her face to his, pressing his lips gently against hers. “Are you the moon?” He mumbles against her mouth.  
  
“No, the Moon and the Sun never get to spend much time together” Lady Pentaghast laughs placing her hands on his shoulders pushing him back from her slightly. “Maybe I will be a flower” Cassandra giggles when she sees her lover roll his eyes at her. “Always reaching and leaning towards my source of life” She adds hearing him snort.  
  
“Showing off your pretty petals?” Lord Trevelyan asks receiving a smack in his chest from Cassandra making him laugh. “Maybe you are a flower, always trying to entice me with your beauty.. Trying to make me gaze upon you” The Inquisitor laughs again until Cassandra places her finger to her lips reminding him he needs to be quiet. “Maybe I am not the Sun..” He begins as he begins to climb to his feet, leaning over her so that she is forced to move back onto their bed.  
  
“Then what are you?” Lady Pentaghast whispers, seeing a smile at the edge of his mouth as he considers his answer. Cassandra leans back onto the bed and into the pillow as he follows her with his body, he places his hands either side of her head again and moves to rest himself between her thighs. She looks up at him suddenly feeling her body begging for him to be closer to her, she wanted him to claim her and show her that she belonged to him.  
  
“Maybe..” The Inquisitor whispers as he dips his head to brush his lips against hers, she closes her eyes for a moment feeling the gentle warmth of his breath on her skin as he continues “Maybe I am..” He mumbles when she feels herself parting her lips inviting him to kiss her until she couldn’t focus on anything but his mouth.  
  
The Seeker slides her arms around him pulling him tighter against her until his forearms are flat against the bed beside her and his body is flush to hers. She tries to keep the sigh of satisfaction from escaping her lips when her lover finally crushes his mouth against hers, his fingers finding their way into her dark hair trying to cover every part of her with his body. Cassandra wraps her legs loosely around his waist letting the heels of her feet press into his hips as he kisses her.

“I want you,” The Seeker whimpers against his mouth making him smile. She didn’t care if he called her bossy and demanding, she knew what she wanted from him and she wasn’t afraid to ask for it. She wanted to remind him that there was part of him that had wanted to take her against the door in the Trevelyan estate and she had come close to agreeing. “I love you,” Cassandra giggles when he removes his mouth from her and slides his hands down her body slowly.

“I love you” The Inquisitor replies as he lifts her legs tighter around him and slips his hand between them. “Maybe I am just a man that has everything he could ever want in life..” Lord Trevelyan begins as he trails his hand lower making her gasp at his touch. “Just a husband that loves his wife”

“You are much more than just anything..” Cassandra giggles as he leans to press his lips to hers again, drawing her deeper into his touch and kiss.

                                                                                             
       
                                                                                                           -------------------------- 

  
  
Lady Pentaghast takes hold of the material between her fingers as she pulls the flap back that makes up the door to their tent, lifting it high enough so that she can poke her head out. She scrunches her face up slightly when she feels how cold it is, the cool morning air hitting her as she blinks to let her eyes adjust to the half-light. She notices the light mist that hangs in the air mixed with the thick wood smoke that is still coming from the fire and swirling above the tents. She ducks under the flap as she places her booted feet onto the muddy and wet ground. It was all too tempting to retreat back into the dark and warmth that the canvas shelter had offered them all night when she shivers, pulling the much too big coat tighter around her. She huffs when she feels a drop of rain, fall from the overhanging canopy of trees above them and onto her face. Cassandra lifts her hand to wipe the wet from her cheek as she raises her eyes to glance at the grey sky through the branches and the dark clouds that are threatening to empty rain on them at any moment. But at least it wasn’t snowing yet.

The Seeker lowers her eyes to take a look around their camp. She immediately notices how quiet it is and that the light sound of breathing and snoring from the tents, the crackling of the fire and the pattering of the remaining rain is all she can hear. Lady Pentaghast spots two soldiers talking quietly to each other as they walk around the edge of the camp, keeping watch and ensuring that The Inquisitor is always safe. It was still only first light so the rest of the Inquisition soldiers that had accompanied them, would still be getting as much sleep as they could before they needed to pack up their tents, load up the carts and continue on the trail to Skyhold. She spots Lord Trevelyan crouching in front of the fire pit with his back to her, carefully placing some more wood and logs onto the fire to keep it alive and providing them with some warmth. She smiles to herself when she sees him, the man she intended to spend the rest of her life with. She watches him climb to his feet, he lift his arms above his head with a stretch and a yawn trying to ease the sleep from his muscles. He rubs his eyes with the back of his hand showing how recently he’s woken up and how much the smoke is bothering him.

“You should have woken me..” Cassandra whispers trying to keep her voice low as to not wake the rest of the camp before they were ready, but loud enough to reach him. She sees him glance over his shoulder when he’s heard her, a smile creeping onto his face when he looks at her. The Seeker sees him laugh and shake his head when he spots that she has borrowed his favourite coat and has wrapped the long leather jacket tightly around her to keep the chill from her body. Cassandra watches him shove his hands into the pockets of his breeches trying to keep them warm as he lets out of a puff of his warm breath, creating a cloud in front of his face.

“I thought you might appreciate a few more minutes,” The Inquisitor replies, another smile at his mouth when she steps away from the front of the tent and towards him. He’d done his duty as husband and kept her up most of the night. “Could you not find your own clothes this morning, Cass?” He asks as he turns his attention back to the fire, kicking at the edge of it with the toe of his boot.  
  
“Not ones that smell of you” Lady Pentaghast giggles taking hold of the collar of his leather coat that she wears, dragging it up to her face and nose to take a deep breath of his scent causing him to laugh again. He smelled like sunshine, and warmth, a masculine and intoxicating fragrance she found comfort in. He also smelled of the sweet musk she would sometimes see him dab beneath his jaw when he’d finished shaving, he knew she liked that smell on his skin.

“Well I think it looks good on you” He replies as she watches him bend again to throw a stray piece of wood back into the centre of the fire that has slipped from its place. Cassandra takes the last few steps between them, immediately feeling the warmth from the fire the closer she gets. She feels him sigh beneath her touch when she places her hands on his waist. The Seeker wraps her arms around his large frame, resting her face against the cold leather that covers his back so that her cheek is pressed against his shoulder blade.

“Why are you awake so early?” Cassandra feels him shrug lightly and lower his head, dropping his eyes to look through the smoke and into the flames not answering her question. Lady Pentaghast watches him lift his arms so that she can slide her arms around his waist, slipping her hands beneath his jacket and shirt to rest on his chest.

“I was thinking about something you said about Jack,” Lord Trevelyan finally answers making her lift her head from his back to rest her chin on his shoulder. Lady Pentaghast feels him remove his hands from his pockets and place them over hers that she strokes against his stomach. She smiles when she feels him take both of her hands in his and link their fingers together.  
  
“Anything in particular?” Cassandra feels him falter for a moment as if he isn’t sure how to continue with what he wants to say. She gently slides her thumbs against his, letting him gather himself. He’d always been patient with her when she had found it so difficult to open up and voice her feelings so it was only right she did the same for him. He was very rarely lost for words and she knew something was bothering him, he seemed deep in thought but he didn’t seem as worried as she had seen him before.  
  
“Well more about something you said about Jack, that I think we need to consider for our baby” The Inquisitor replies, she sees him glance over his shoulder at her again giving her a small smile. She loved when they talked about their baby, even if it left them both feeling terrified at the thought of being parents. “You said that Jack is surrounded by people that love him. He has his Grandparents in Ostwick” He continues making her nod. “Well our child is going to be born at Skyhold” He adds as she frowns slightly unsure where he was going with this, she squeezes him tighter trying to use his body to protect her from the damp and cold as another swirl of freezing wind circles them.

“I don’t follow” Lady Pentaghast whispers hearing him laugh. He places his hand around her wrist so that he can unwrap he arms from around him, drawing her around to stand in front of him so that she can get the benefit of the fire. Cassandra lets him wrap his own arms around her pulling her into his comforting embrace, letting herself be wrapped up in him and his constant warm body.

“They will be surrounded by people that love them too, but all of our family live far away from us” The Inquisitor begins again as she lets him tuck her beneath his chin and place his hands gently on her stomach. “The people that we have chosen to be in our lives and living with us at Skyhold are going to play an important part in our children’s lives. They are going to be family to them..”

“I don’t understand what this has to do with Jack?” Lady Pentaghast giggles as hears him huff quietly, another cloud of his breath gathering at his mouth. “I’m sorry, please continue” Cassandra whispers feeling that he isn’t going to continue talking if she keeps antagonizing him. “What do you mean my wonderful Husband?”

“What I mean is..” Lord Trevelyan mumbles as he dips his head to press a kiss against her cheek making her lean into him further. “I think we should ask Cullen to be a guardian when the baby is born. I think we should make sure that he is always going to be someone that will look out for and care for our Children.. Someone that they can consider a family member”

“Really?” Lady Pentaghast feels her brow lift in surprise at his words. Asking someone to become your child’s guardian was a very big and important decision, one that came with a lot of responsibility and significance. Of course it was mostly a symbolic role rather than a practical one, but all the same those that were asked to be guardians knew how important it was that they said yes. Cassandra smiles lightly when she thinks about what Lord Trevelyan is suggesting, he wanted their friend to be part of their future and he wanted Cullen to have a role in their child’s life too.

“Is that so strange?” The Inquisitor laughs when Lady Pentaghast turns in his arms so that she is facing him, she fixes her eyes on him for a moment seeing that there is no sign of him suggesting it to tease her. Cassandra places her hands flat on his chest, slipping her fingertips beneath the lapels of his coat.

“Cullen?” The Seeker asks again seeing him nod at her question; she slides her palms up to his shoulders so that she can wrap her arms around his neck. “Is that really what you want?” She adds watching him lower his eyes from hers as he nods again.

“Just if anything was to happen to us both..” Lord Trevelyan begins hearing Cassandra groan as soon as he says it and roll her eyes at him. “We have to think about these things, love. Our lives aren’t just for each other anymore” He laughs holding her tighter in his arms. “I know.. I know we are going to grow old surrounded by our Children, but it would be nice to know we have someone that already knows and loves them, should the worst happen”

“You worry as much as I do..” Lady Pentaghast giggles seeing him smirk; she drops her arms from around his neck and slips them back to beneath his jacket again trying to use his warmth to keep her from shivering. “You are lucky I love you” Cassandra whispers stepping onto her tiptoes to press her lips against his, letting her mouth linger against his. She quickly pulls away from him when she feels the first light spots of rain begin to fall onto them.

“We trust him, he cares about us..” The Inquisitor begins glancing up at the sky; he takes hold of her body tighter against his lowering his head when he feels the rain begin to fall. “And he is a good man..” Lord Trevelyan adds making Cassandra nod. He didn’t need to tell her all of the good things about Commander Cullen; she knew that even with all of the darkness he’d faced in his past, he was a good and kind man.

“I think he’d like that” Cassandra smiles. “We know they would be safe and loved” She adds reluctantly letting go of Lord Trevelyan and stepping away from him, assuming that they would be trying to shelter from the rain rather than standing out in it.

“Stay with me..” The Inquisitor mumbles as he takes hold of the material at his shoulders, lifting it so he can remove it from his body. His want for her to be dry stronger than his want to be warm. He holds his jacket above them and their heads providing a shelter from the rain that threatens to soak them. He motions for her to join him and step out of the wet. “I’ll keep you dry” He adds giving her a smile.

“I’m going back inside” Lady Pentaghast lifts her hand, pointing towards the tent that she has just come from. “You’ll get soaked if you stay out here,” She adds feeling his eyes on her as he watches her from beneath his makeshift shelter. “Ash, you’ll freeze” She sees another grin appear at his mouth.

“Why don’t you come here and warm me up, Seeker?” Lord Trevelyan lifts an eyebrow with his question and she sees him bite his bottom lip gently. Cassandra huffs not wanting to even look at him when he was being so ridiculous and looking so enticing, so she looks into the fire for a moment. She sees him smirk again, wondering if anyone would even notice if she threw him to the muddy floor and mounted him.

“Stop” Lady Pentaghast huffs looking back at him again, she sees him shrug innocently. “Stop doing that with your face” She giggles when he smirks again.

"I’m not doing anything, Lady Trevelyan” He replies making a smile tug at the corner of her mouth, she loved hearing those words and that name coming from his lips and couldn’t wait till they could tell everyone and have their wedding at Skyhold.

“Didn’t you get your fill of me last night, Lord Trevelyan?” She asks seeing his brown eyes fixed on her as he shakes his head making her laugh out loud. “Are you sure? Surely you must be tired of me by now?” She laughs and asks again. No one had ever made her feel the way he did, he always made her feel like she was loved and wanted by him and like she was starting to feel worthy of his affection.

“I will never tire of you” The Inquisitor replies when she watches his eyes lift again as the drops of rain get bigger. “Come here..” He adds holding his coat higher to invite her in.

“I suppose you’d like me to ask Cullen?” Cassandra sighs seeing him smile that she doesn’t want to leave him outside on his own, wondering if the dark clouds were going to be over them for very long. The rest of their party would soon be waking up and interrupting their moment of quiet together and she knew if she retreated back to their tent they’d end up tearing at clothes and under their furs again.  
  
“I was hoping you would” Lord Trevelyan mumbles beckoning her to him again. Cassandra quickly steps beneath his coat, wrapping her arms tight around his middle. She smiles to herself when she rests her head into his neck and he lowers his arms so that the coat is resting over the top of his head and covering them suddenly engulfing her in almost darkness.

“Why do I have to ask him?” Lady Pentaghast sighs again when she feels him place his palm on her back, drawing her against his warm body. “He listens to you,” She whispers lifting her head slightly so that she can hear the rain beginning to bounce off of the leather of his coat that he protects her from. She smiles again when he rests his head against hers and goes quiet for a few moments, the sound of the rain and his breath all she can hear.

“Because he’s your friend” The Inquisitor finally whispers when she feels him turns his head to press his mouth against her ear. “It would be better coming from you,” He adds brushing his lips gently against her earlobe, letting his bottom lip catch her soft skin. Cassandra closes her eyes for a moment when she feels him slide his hand to her waist and trail his lips to her neck making her sigh.  
  
“But you are the Inquisitor” Lady Pentaghast sighs feeling him remove his mouth from her as he laughs, she watches him lift his coat to let in more light so he can get a better look at her. Cassandra sees him narrow his eyes at her making her laugh. “Do it for me?” She coos at him making him huff and shake his head. The Seeker steps onto her toes again to kiss him softly stopping him from huffing any more.  
  
“What are you two doing under there?” Cassandra hears Ser Rutherford’s sleepy sounding voice coming from somewhere outside of their shelter. She reluctantly breaks her mouth from Lord Trevelyan’s and takes hold of the bottom of his coat, lifting it higher so she can see out from beneath it.

“We were just talking about you actually,” Lady Pentaghast laughs when she sets her eyes on their blonde friend through the light fog and smoke from the fire. She watches him step carefully out of his own tent, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand as he does. The Inquisitor lifts his coat from over them, slipping his arms back into it and shrugging it up onto his shoulders. Cassandra gives Lord Trevelyan a smile when he wraps his arms around her again.  
  
“Oh?” Cullen replies glancing over his shoulder at the pair as they watch him picking up a leather water pouch before he works his way across the camp towards them. “All good things I hope?” He asks giving them a light smile.

“We wanted to ask you something, Cullen” Lord Trevelyan begins. Cassandra turns her head to look at him giving him a reassuring nod, glad that he had decided to bring up the question himself.


	28. Home Sweet Skyhold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow.. I just.. Wow haha. I just wanted to say thank you so much to everyone that has read ‘Letters To Henry’ and that has taken the time to leave me a message on AO3, tumblr, email etc.. to tell me how much they’ve enjoyed it. I really really really appreciate it and appreciate the love and support I’ve been shown. It makes me so happy to know someone out there has loved Cassandra and Ashton as much as I do! As you all know, and I keep saying, I am new to this.. This is my first multi-chapter fic and first time I’ve ever done more than a one shot so all of the feedback and advice has been great. I’m not a writer.. I don’t have a beta or an editer (can you tell?!) I just love my Inquisitor and his Seeker!
> 
> I know I’ve been slow to update sometimes, had the worst writers block ever at times and I’ve let real life slow me down but its been great.. This isn’t the end! I have lots of one shots in progress and a couple of multi-chapters too.. Including the next ‘part’ of this one! So thank you for all bearing with me and I hope you continue to read about Lord and Lady Trevelyan.
> 
> I’m sad this is over.. But I’m so glad you were here with me!
> 
> Love always, SoF x

Lady Cassandra Trevelyan smiles to herself when she hears the sound of laughter coming from the pair that she knows are not far behind her, on their own horses navigating the trail through the mountains. It was wonderful to hear the two people she cared about most getting along. Even if they were being unbearably loud about it. They’d come so close to being friends and each time something had caused a rift between them, but she knew life would certainly be much easier and better for all of them if they were friends. The Inquisition had enough people against them without in-fighting and she knew that together Lord Trevelyan and Ser Rutherford were a good team.

“I think you should let me do it..” The Commander laughs receiving a laugh from the Inquisitor, their voices echoing through the trees and being trapped by the canopy that hangs above their heads. “My skill in field medicine is second to none” He adds making Cassandra raise her eyebrows slightly wondering what they could be talking about that is tickling them both so much. It moves her thoughts away from the ache in her hands and legs for a moment, so she is glad of the distraction their laughter gives her.

“I think you’d need to run that idea past Lady Pentaghast.. Every part of me belongs to her now and I think you’d need her permission” Lord Trevelyan begins, gaining her attention fully when she hears him say her name. “But I don’t think that’s a very good idea” The Inquisitor replies, a smile in his voice she notices.

The Seeker tightens her hold on her reigns as she lowers her eyes to the ground, checking that her own mount is keeping a steady pace and stepping carefully between the fallen branches and layers of snow that have been building up at the side of the path and covering their route since they’ve been away. Cassandra shivers slightly, noticing that the wet and damp weather they had been travelling in further down the mountain, has now been replaced by deep snow. She takes hold of the edge of her hood between her fingers, drawing it across her chin to keep the cold from her neck hoping to save every bit of body heat she can. A quiet hush that only icy and freezing conditions can bring has surrounded the Inquisitor and his party, a hush that is being disturbed by their rambunctious laughter and conversation. She tries to listen past their noise and focus on the rhythmic sound of hoofs and boots crunching into ground beneath them. She sees that the snow is fresh and untouched and as her horse places its feet into the snow, the first tracks are being made.

“Not after the terrible job you did with my sutures.. I’m going to be left with some awful scars because of you,” Lord Trevelyan chuckles. “As much as I appreciate the kind offer of you removing my arm, I’ll pass” The Inquisitor continues making Cassandra sigh at his words. If Ashton believed the worst of his scars had come from Cullen patching him up, he still had no idea that it had been The Commander of his armies that had injured him so badly in the first place.

“Why are you talking about such grim things?” She asks pulling her cloak tighter around her body and glancing over her shoulder at them, fixing her eyes on the pair as they follow her closely. “Don’t you think we’ve had enough violence for our whole lifetime?” She asks seeing them both grin at her and shrug from beneath their own hoods. Cassandra sighs again making them laugh, she’d changed her mind, maybe it was easier when they didn’t speak to each other and she could enjoy the awkward silences and death stares. They all knew they weren’t even close to seeing their share of violence and battles.

“Besides, I’m rather attached to my arm..” The Inquisitor hisses as he leans closer to Ser Rutherford, making sure he whispers loudly enough so that they can all hear him, ignoring her question. Cassandra tries to hide her smile listening to his terrible joke and laughs when she sees that his words are drawing another loud laugh from the Commander. She is sure she feels a ripple of his amusement through their bond noticing how nice it is to not be getting waves of jealousy from her best friend. The Seeker watches Ser Rutherford rub his hands against his arms trying to warm himself up, glad to see she wasn’t the only one that was suffering.

“Don’t encourage him” Lady Pentghast smiles as she turns away from the pair and directs her attention back to their path. Cassandra lifts her head and lets a warm puff of her breath into the air, the cloud forming in front of her mouth as she tries to keep her teeth from chattering. She was feeling the cold creeping into her body the further they travelled into the mountains and knew as they got later into the day the temperature would drop even more. Her body hurt from the riding they had been doing all day and she was knew listening to them was the only thing keeping her from slipping into sleep. How she longed to be wrapped in Lord Trevelyan’s arms rather than making such slow progress.

“Maker I am cold” Cullen huffs receiving a positive noise from Lord Trevelyan, agreeing with him. “I thought I hated being rained on” He adds. “But this is worse..” The Seeker hears him fidgeting behind her on his horse, clapping his gloved hands together trying to get the blood moving through them again.

“Lady Pentaghast doesn’t appreciate my humour” The Inquisitor whispers, again loud enough so he knows she will hear it. Cassandra looks over her shoulder at him again seeing him smirk at her from beneath his hood, his own breath clouding in front of his face.

“I’d appreciate it more, my Lord Inquisitor if one of you took the lead for a while so I could rest and concentrate on warming up” Lady Pentaghast replies giving them both her sweetest smile. She’d been setting their pace and guiding them on their path for the last few hours and knew she could do with a few minutes where she could happily doze in her seat and not have to watch for hidden dangers.

“I’m going to circle back and check on my men” The Commander announces making her turn to look at her friend again. “Then I will take the lead for a while” He adds giving her a nod and smile. Cassandra returns his nod, grateful for his offer. She laughs lightly when she watches him reach his hand up to push a low hanging branch higher so the Inquisitor can duck under it without hitting his head, managing to free some of the snow onto himself and Lord Trevelyan as he does so. She watches The Inquisitor shove The Commander in the arm trying to unbalance him in his seat in retaliation.

The Seeker lowers her hands to take hold of the front of her saddle as she twists again, allowing herself to watch The Commander pull his horse back and away from the Inquisitor’s so that he can check on his men at the back of their entourage. Although they had brought a much smaller force with them than usual, they still had several carts of supplies and soldiers accompanying them. Cassandra watches him turn the animal on the spot, before quickly moving away from them.

“We’ll be home soon” The Inquisitor’s voice meets her as she hears him kick his horse gently to move in line with hers, his own mount matching the slow pace of hers as they ride side-by-side. “We can’t be more than an hour away now. Although everything looks very different covered in snow..” He adds when she watches him gather his reigns in one hand and start stretching his fingers, shaking his hand showing it is still troubling him and hurting.

“Not soon enough..” Cassandra laughs watching him open and close his gloved fist. The injury on his hand was deep but his mark had been causing him more pain and she knew it wasn’t just in his palm anymore. “Is it hurting you?” Lady Pentaghast asks, fixing her eyes onto his face when she sees him wince. She gives him a small smile trying to offer him some comfort when he settles his eyes into hers and nods lightly beneath his hood.

“I’m fine, love” Lord Trevelyan tightens the grip on his reigns in his other hand before holding it out to her. “It’s just the cold..” He adds as she tries to hide a yawn behind her hand and ignore her heavy eyelids. “But we should stop, you need to rest..” The Inquisitor begins. The Seeker watches him glancing around them wondering if there is a safe place they could stop to rest for a while.

“We need to keep going” Cassandra smiles at his constant concern for her; a concern she wasn’t always sure was necessary but she did appreciate. “Just keep me awake and keep me company” She adds when he turns his attention to her again, taking hold of her hand in his squeezing it as gently as he can through their gloves.

“I need to warm you up,” Lord Trevelyan mumbles when he begins rubbing his hands over hers trying to give her some of his warmth. The Seeker watches him reach behind his saddle for his water pouch, unhooking it and holding it out to her. “When did you last eat?” He asks nodding towards the water wanting her to take it from him. Cassandra takes the water with a smile trying to appease him; she carefully unscrews the cap and takes a small sip from the cold water.

“When did you?” The Seeker asks seeing him laugh and shake his head that she was trying to be dismissive of his fussing over her. She knew that he was about to bring his favourite argument into why she should be taking better care of herself, she was carrying their child after all.

“You need to keep your energy up” The Inquisitor begins “Here..” He mumbles again beginning to fumble inside his saddlebag, looking for something he has hidden in the very bottom of the satchel. He removes his hand pulling out a small item that has carefully been wrapped in greased paper, holding it up to show her.

“Chocolate?” Cassandra smiles when she sees a proud smile stretch onto her Husbands face. He knew how much she couldn’t resist chocolate and even after a long journey, a difficult few weeks and some hard times between them, her love had remembered to stash something nice for her in his bag. “I knew there was a reason I liked you” The Seeker laughs making him chuckle.

“Always happy to help, Lady Pentaghast” The Inquisitor smirks as he unwraps the chocolate between his fingers, she watches him snap some pieces off of the larger slab. He holds it out to her on his open palm inviting her to take some. “Those people that don’t think I’m a good enough husband material for you.. I know how to keep my wife happy” He laughs, his eyes fixed on her when she takes some from him. Cassandra smiles at him when she watches him lift his own portion of the dark chocolate to his own mouth and between his lips. “That’s pretty good..” Lord Trevelyan mumbles, nodding his head she notices him lick the side of his mouth with the tip of his tongue not wanting to waste any.

“You do make me very happy” Lady Pentaghast smiles at him in agreement, taking another piece until his palm is empty and they sit in silence for a moment enjoying the sweet treat. She watches as The Inquisitor tugs his reigns until their horses are walking as close as they can shoulder to shoulder so he can reach her without having to lean too far. “Come here..” She sighs reaching her hand up to his face, wiping her finger against a spot she is sure she seems some chocolate.

“We were talking about my hand..” The Inquisitor mumbles making Cassandra nod lightly, she had heard the end of their conversation and their friend’s solution. The truth was none of them had any more information about the mark or its power. They knew it had been getting progressively stronger and that it was capable of destruction just as much as it was closing rifts. Lady Pentaghast also knew how much pain it always caused him but he didn’t share that with the others often.

“I don’t think Cullen’s idea is a good one either” The Seeker huffs, she didn’t want to talk about anything that would bring him more pain. She knew they were going to have to find answers but they had no idea who would give them. As soon as their fight was over and the rifts had been sealed, as soon as peace had been restored in Thedas and Corypheaus had been defeated they would find answers.. Could he live with the mark or would its power consume him? Surely it would never come down to taking his arm or his life.

“I think it’s killing me” Lord Trevelyan whispers, lowering his tone as if he doesn’t want to even give a voice the thoughts he is having. “As much as I am willing to do anything to fight this.. I don’t want to die Cass” Lady Pentaghast looks into his face again seeing him give her a weak smile. “I want to live.. I need to live” He nods confidently.

“Don’t say those things” The Seeker mumbles, she reaches for his hand again bringing it close to her trying to chase the thoughts away. She smooths her fingers over the back of his hand hoping he can feel it through the soft leather of his gloves, his favourite pair that Leliana had, had made for him for his Birthday.

"We have to be realistic.. We don’t know how much time I have left” Lord Trevelyan lowers his eyes to their hands and then back to her. She didn’t see the look of a man that was voicing his fears staring back at her, but the look of a man that was declaring his bravery and his want to never give up.

“Someone will know what this is and what we must do.. When the rifts are sealed we will deal with the mark” Cassandra gives him a smile seeing him nod at her words. “Maybe Daniel can help us.. We will ask him to help us find a way” She adds seeing his brow furrow as if he is contemplating what she is saying. His brother was a powerful Blood Mage and surely he would be able to help them as he had done with the vial. They hadn’t shared all they could about the mark with him but he’d seen it tear open a rift.

“We could ask him to come to Skyhold, maybe he could study it?” Lord Trevelyan adds, a small smile at the edge of his mouth. “He must know..” He adds as Cassandra sees him brighten at the idea of having the darkness removed from his palm. Maybe Daniel was the answer to all of this. Maybe his brother would give him the chance to live.

“In a few years time this will all just seem like a bad dream..” Lady Pentaghast tries to give him the best positive smile she can and stamp down the fear she had every time she thought about the mark. Every time she had to think about a life without Lord Trevelyan it tore her in two. “But we have to fight this Lord Trevelyan, you must promise me you won’t give up”

“I promise.. As soon as we are home,” The Inquisitor begins. “I’ll send for him” He adds dropping his hand from hers and bringing it to brush against her cheek. “I’ll never leave you” Lord Trevelyan slips his hand onto the back of her neck drawing her closer to him.

“I know” Cassandra whispers fixing her eyes on his, the beautiful pools of brown that always brought her so much comfort and always communicated so much to her. “I won’t give up on you” The Seeker sighs placing her own hand on his cheek, she watches his scar lift as he grins. She leans towards him letting her lips press gently against his, enjoying the warmth from his mouth.

“Together until the end.. Whenever that might be” The Inquisitor mumbles between kisses as he wraps his arm around her again pulling her into a hug. Cassandra wraps her arm around him burying her head into his shoulder for a moment. She hoped the end would be a very long time from now.

“Can I hope that the end never comes?” The Seeker whispers, pressing her cheek into the scratchy fabric of his cloak. “We can find an enchanted stream? A magical pond? Anything that will give us an eternal life together..” Cassandra smiles when she feels him laugh beneath her cheek and the warm sound of his happiness.

“How about a mystical puddle?” He asks making her giggle. A mystical puddle would do and they would drink every drop of the dirty water if they had to, she was sure. “Our soldiers will find something and then we will be together forever.. There could be more Sacred Ashes out there and all kinds of things we haven’t yet discovered” He adds as she sits back to take a look at him.

“If anyone can find it, it’s you Ashton” The Seeker sees him beam when he hears her confidence in him. She doubted such a thing existed but there was no harm in dreaming, as long as he didn’t set out on a wild goose chase for such a sacred object or place. Cassandra fights back a yawn again as she lets her eyes travel over the edge of the trail, trying to not be so distracted by him when she was supposed to be leading them home.

“Why don’t you lean on me for a while Cass?” Lord Trevelyan whispers holding his arm open to her, inviting her to relax against him. Cassandra hesitates for a moment until he motions for her again, she is about to give in to her exhaustion and let herself rest when hears the sound of an approaching horse behind them making him turn to find the source of the noise. He holds his hand out to her again that she happily takes as they both see The Commander riding back towards them.

“Are you two holding hands?” Lady Pentaghast hears Ser Rutherford’s voice from behind them, a teasing edge to his word. She smiles bashfully at Lord Trevelyan when she realises that they have probably been gazing at each other and not paying much attention to the road. Cassandra peeks over her shoulder, watching her friend as he kicks his horse to catch up them again.  
  
“Should we not?” Cassandra laughs turning her gaze back to The Inquisitor who keeps his horse steady beside hers, she sees him fix his eyes on her in return and give her a small smile. The Inquisitor leans forward in his saddle slightly trying to get comfortable.

“My wife has been feeling the cold” Lord Trevelyan replies with a smirk, she feels him squeeze her gloved hand through his equally covered one. “I’m making sure to keep her warm” The Seeker sees a smile tug at the corner of her Husband’s mouth when she drops her eyes to their hands. Yes they were holding hands and she didn’t care how public their affection was, she was enjoying every moment of being at his side.  
  
“He’s a very considerate Husband” Lady Pentaghast laughs seeing how much he appears to enjoy hearing her call him that when she sees a large smile tug at the corner of his mouth. “Very considerate of all of my needs” Cassandra giggles when The Inquisitor drops her hand and wraps his arm around her body drawing her closer to him. “I’ll fall..” The Seeker laughs suddenly feeling unsteady in her saddle until she feels him tighten his hold on her and guide her beneath his arm.

“I wont let you fall” Lord Trevelyan whispers when she leans back into his shoulder, letting him support her weight. The Seeker turns her body towards him trying to warm herself in his embrace and wrap herself in the edges of his cloak. “I’ve got you..” He adds with a chuckle when she yawns again. “Get some rest” She feels him bend his head to press his mouth against the top of her head through the fabric of her hood. Cassandra turns her head from its place on his shoulder to see that Cullen is watching them and has seen their exchange.

“It’s very sweet that’s all..” The Commander begins scrunching his face in pretend disgust making The Inquisitor and The Seeker laugh at his actions. “I’ve got to admit the feelings of happiness Cassandra has been radiating for the last few minutes have been making me nauseous” Cullen laughs making Cassandra snort at him and the Inquisitor laugh. He was going to have to get used to those feelings because she planned on spending the rest of her days as a very happy woman.

“Count yourself lucky my blood was removed from that vial..” Lord Trevelyan smirks to himself as The Seeker watches him gather his reigns in his hand again, she sees him turn to his friend giving Cullen a confident smile. “If you had the intensity of my feelings in there you wouldn’t be able to understand them anyway” The Inquisitor laughs, she feels him place his hand against her hip and squeezing her beneath his palm.

“Is that right?” The Commander snorts with a smile. “I don’t think I’ve once heard you talk about your feelings Ashton, you certainly have never spoken for hours without interruption about how much you love Lady Pentaghast”

“Maybe I should try harder to voice my feelings from now on.. I am a Trevelyan after all and we are known to care more deeply and love more intensely and passionately than most.. Of course you stuffy military types wouldn’t understand that, right Cullen?” Lord Trevelayn laughs making Cassandra freeze at his words wondering if their mild jesting and riling of each other might be getting too personal.

“Okay, that’s enough..” Lady Pentaghast replies sitting up from her Husband’s embrace and giving him and warning with her eyes that she didn’t think it was a good idea for them to be pushing each other. She turns to the Commander pointing her finger at him. “Both of you” She adds seeing Cullen give her an innocent smile. “No fighting.. No arguing, no competitions or name-calling. We are nearly home and think you should change the subject now and concentrate on the road” The Seeker adds seeing The Inquisitor shrug and give her a smile to show he won’t let Cullen get to him.

The three ride in silence for a while, Lady Pentaghast feeling like she has successfully defused the situation and that they are going to behave themselves. She had no idea if they were ever going to be able to stop competing against each other, always trying to outdo one another. A little friendly competition and rivalry never hurt anyone, but she could imagine them taking it too far and one or both of them getting hurt. Cassandra sighs when The Inquisitor leans towards her again, he places his hand on her shoulder offering her some silent comfort.

“So maybe if you two could tone down the sap..” Ser Rutherford suddenly continues, ignoring Cassandra’s warning and making The Seeker and the Inquisitor jump at his sudden announcement. Cassandra glances at their friend and sees that he is making a gesture that their actions are making him sick as he lets out a loud laugh. She rolls her eyes wondering what she ever did to be surrounded by such comedians.

“Not going to happen” The Inquisitor laughs. “I know it may be difficult for you to comprehend mine and Lady Pentaghast’s relationship, a loving and mature relationship built on love from both sides..”

“Mature?” Cullen scoffs as The Seeker looks at him, shaking her head telling him to stop and keep his mouth shut. “Really..You, mature?” The Commander lets out a loud ‘Ha’ as he turns to smirk at Lord Trevelyan.

“If you two don’t stop squabbling” Lady Pentaghast huffs. “I’ll make both of you ride alone so I don’t have to listen to it anymore” Cassandra glares at them both for a moment.

“We aren’t squabbling.. Lord Trevelyan knows he’s no match for me at anything.. He has lost every time he’s ever come up against me after all” Cullen sighs matter-of-factly watching to see if his words are having any affect on the Inquisitor.

“That’s it..” The Inquisitor laughs, carefully untangling himself from Cassandra and making sure she is steady in her own saddle. “Last one back to Skyhold unloads the carts and sleeps in the stables”

“Challenge accepted” The Commander chuckles in return, quickly grasping his reigns in both of his hands and gathering his horse beneath him. “I hope you enjoy losing, Brother” Cullen shouts.

“I hope you enjoy your night in the hay” Lord Trevelyan huffs, spurring his own mount with the heel of his boot.

The Seeker sighs and places her hand over her eyes when she hears the pair kick their horses into action, both of them gripping their reigns tightly and continuing their accent up the mountain at a much greater speed than they had previously been moving at. Cassandra lowers her hand slowly to see the shapes of Lord Trevelyan and Ser Rutherford disappear into the gloom of the trees ahead of them, the sound of them both shouting encouragement at their mounts all she is left with as they get further and further away.

“Ridiculous” Cassandra mutters under her breath looking around her and then over her shoulder to check that she hasn’t been completely left on her own and that the soldiers are still following not far behind. She wraps her cloak around her body again wondering if she should go after them, suddenly feeling anxious that they shouldn’t be riding at such speeds on such uncertain paths. Just as she is about to kick her horse on she hears the sound of a horse being ridden and thundering down the track towards her again.

“How long do you think until he notices I’m not there?” The Inquisitor shouts, a grin stretched across his face as he reaches her. She sees that he is slightly flushed from the wind and he takes a gulp of air as he laughs.

“You are both ridiculous” Lady Pentaghast huffs trying to not let his always infectious smile get to her so she lowers her eyes. She did think they were both ridiculous and she didn’t appreciate being left on her own. “This road is dangerous..”

“I just wanted to give Cullen the satisfaction of beating me at something for a change..” Lord Trevelyan laughs his reply as he tugs a reign to bring his horse along side hers again, as he tries to catch his breath. She watches him gently stroke his fingers into his mares neck, giving her a soft pat for her efforts. “He can gloat for a few days if he likes” He adds dipping his head to try and find her eyes, making her smile.

“And what do you gain by sending him away like that? Other than getting to sleep in the stables” Lady Pentaghast smirks when she sees her husband shrug, his brown eyes full of mischief on hers. He reaches his arm out to her placing his hand on her waist.

“Well we get to be alone..” Lord Trevelyan begins before nodding towards the accompaniment behind them. “Almost alone” He laughs. “We’ve spent weeks almost always having eyes on us, I’m looking forward to being back in our quarters.. Just you and me” Cassandra bites at her bottom lip at his words, they didn’t get a lot of time alone and she was looking forward to closing their door and getting some solace.

“Aren’t you worried you’ll be cold sleeping outside with the horses?” The Seeker giggles when she hears Lord Trevelyan snort. She wasn’t sure how alone they would ever be again with Cullen tuned into her feelings and emotions.

“I’m not sleeping outside..” The Inquisitor sighs, he lifts his other hand to her face using it to direct her towards his. “I’m going to spend tonight and every night with you, in our bed..” He continues pressing a gentle kiss against her mouth. “Being very, very considerate of your needs” Cassandra feels a smile tug at the corner of her lips. 

 

\---------------------------

 

Lady Pentaghast smiles against his skin when she hears a throaty groan escape her husband’s mouth and the feel of his fingertips pressing into her hips. She continues to press kisses under his jaw trying to catch her own breath until she hears him sigh and relax beneath her. They’d arrived at Skyhold at such a late hour that there had been no one to greet them at the gates but the guards and a very smug looking Commander Cullen. The rest of the Inquisition and their friends having retired to their beds hours ago meant they weren’t disturbed during their quick meal before they could excuse themselves to their tower.

The Seeker sits up from her position of straddling Lord Trevelyan’s hips and slides her hands over his flushed chest that rises and falls beneath her palms as he tries to steady his breathing. She feels him place his hands on her back when he fixes his eyes on her, the warmth of his palms only adding to the warmth she is being bathed in from the large fire that has been built in their fireplace. The fire crackles quietly as it burns, its pops and snaps merging with the sound of The Inquisitor keeping his word about being considerate to her every need.

“A perfect home coming..” The Inquisitor pants making The Seeker nod in agreement, always perfect when he was involved. She rests her hand at the base of his neck, her fingers tracing the edges of a dark purple mark that looks very much like the shape of her mouth.

“How could it be anything but perfect?” Cassandra giggles as she leans over him, letting him wrap his arms protectively around her so that she can rest her head into his neck. “I think that’s my favourite sound” The Seeker whispers against his skin, she pulls out of his arms so she can sit up straight on top of him again. She glances over her shoulder and into the fire, she’d enjoyed watching how it had cast their shadows against the wall of their quarters.

“The fire?” The Inquisitor asks raising an eyebrow and tilting his head slightly in question. Cassandra watches him tuck his arm behind his head so he can get a better look at her, his other hand coming to rest on her waist as he takes another lungful of air.

“No..” She shakes her head lightly seeing a smile at his mouth and the red in his cheeks as he waits for her answer. Lady Pentaghast strokes her fingers through the light sprinkling of hair on his chest, the tips of each one following the lines of his muscles. “Listen..” Cassandra whispers, placing a finger over his lips to stop him talking.

“I don’t hear anything” Lord Trevelyan mumbles the best he can with her trying to keep him quiet. She nods her head in agreement, she didn’t hear anything either except the sound of their breathing and the crackling of the fire. Otherwise everything was quiet and everything was well.

“Exactly” Lady Pentaghast whispers as she leans forward again, removing her finger from his mouth and pressing her bare chest against his. She lets him wrap his arms around her body, her hands resting either side of his head keeping her balanced on top of his body. She feels him shift beneath her when she presses her lips against his before he moves to tangle his fingers in her hair so he can deepen their kiss.

“Ignore it..” Lord Trevelyan huffs when she breaks their kiss, sure she has heard a knock on their door. The Seeker sits up again, her hands on his chest for leverage. “They’ll go away” He adds leaning up to draw her back to him again with his hands sliding down her back and his demanding mouth on her throat.

“Maybe you should see who it is” Cassandra whispers, using every bit of willpower she has to bat his hands away from her before they got too caught up in each other again and don’t find out who was bothering them. As much as she wanted to pretend they hadn’t heard it, her curious side wanted him to get out of bed for her and find out.

“Seriously? Now?” The Inquisitor asks with a frustrated huff when she nods her head. The Seeker glances over to the direction of the stairway to their door when there is another louder banging from the other side. “Skyhold better be on fire..” Lord Trevelyan grumbles making her laugh. “Fine, I’ll go and look” The Inquisitor sighs.

Lady Pentaghast looks down into his face giving him a grateful smile that only makes him grumble further, she quickly places her hands on his cheeks directing his mouth to hers again giving him something to send him on his way and to stop him pouting. She feels him smile beneath her lips when she starts peppering kisses all over his face trying to stop him being grumpy about the situation, she’d make this very brief interruption up to him. Cassandra giggles when he wraps his arms tightly around her again, lifting her from his lap and rolling her over onto her back. He quickly moves to rest between her legs and places a hand either side of her head so that she can’t move.

“I’ll be right there!” Lord Trevelyan shouts over his shoulder before The Seeker feels his eyes on her again, she slips her hands onto his back as he dips his head to press his mouth against her throat. Cassandra fights back a groan of her own when he slides his hands slowly down her sides and crushes his mouth against hers. She moves her hands to his shoulders giving him a gentle push, if he didn’t go now she would never let him leave their bed. She reluctantly untangles herself from his arms as he moves off of her and to the edge of their bed. Lord Trevelyan takes a handful of their sheets in his hands, pulling it towards her attempting to keep her warm.

“Maybe you should take a blade..” The Seeker blurts out, immediately realising how ridiculous that must sound. They had definitely spent too much time with danger all around them and she had spent too long with the Seekers to ever feel there might not be a threat. She watches Lord Trevelyan look over his shoulder at her and smirk.

“I’m sure someone trying to attack us..” The Inquisitor begins as he places his bare feet onto the cold stone floor. “Probably wouldn’t knock first” He adds as he stands, he turns to face her again as he begins looking for something to wear. His eyes travelling over the floor next to the bed and then past it to the other side, she smiles when she sees him wondering where his clothes are. “I’m coming!” Lord Trevelyan shouts when the banging on the door continues. Cassandra watches Ashton stretch his arms above his head as he continues looking for his clothes, ducking his head to look under their bed.

“Top of the stairs, Inquisitor” The Seeker giggles and points, spotting the trail of discarded clothing leading into their room. He follows the direction of her finger before looking back to her with grin of thanks. Cassandra wriggles back onto their bed so she can sit with her back pressed against their carved wooden headboard, pulling the sheets up around her body to keep the chill away and in case anyone did decide to burst into their room. She watches Lord Trevelyan pad slowly across the room towards their staircase and the waiting visitor, she sees him pick up his breeches as he walks. She can’t help but smile when she lets her eyes wonder over his naked form, his injuries had almost completely healed and other than a slight stiffness she could see he was carrying in his back and legs, most likely from the long days on horse back, he looked back to his usual self.

“Stop banging” Lord Trevelyan huffs when another round of hammering of fists can be heard, Cassandra was sure whoever it was would end up coming through the door if they kept at it. The Seeker watches her love step into his breeches and quickly pull them up his legs as he begins down the stairs into the complete darkness.

Lady Pentaghast watches him disappear from view and the banging on the door go quiet. She tries to listen for any clues but the gentle crackling from the fire masks any other sounds until she hears the sound of the metal lock being pulled aside and the heavy wooden door opened. Cassandra wraps the sheet closer to her body suddenly wondering why anyone would be so insistent at this late hour unless there was an emergency.

“Ash, who is it?” The Seeker calls out, a sudden wave of worry washing over her when she doesn’t hear The Inquisitor’s reply. Maybe someone had stormed their way into Skyhold and had found their door locked. Maybe Lord Trevelyan had been taken from their doorway when she’d asked him to answer it and was being dragged down the hall by some unknown attacker. She had to help him. She quickly moves towards the edge of the bed, reaching for her tunic that has been left on the bottom of it. “Inquisitor?” Cassandra calls again trying to keep the wobble of worry from her voice.

Lady Pentaghast pulls the tunic on over her head, quickly forcing her arms into it too and climbing off of the bed. She shivers lightly when her own bare feet come into contact with the stone. Cassandra glances over to the wooden racks that house their weapons and then to the fireplace trying to decide where her nearest blade or offensive object might be. Deciding a metal fire poker was the closest she scrambles towards the fireplace, grabbing hold of it from its place on the hearth. The Seeker rushes towards the top of the stairs, lifting it above her head ready to attack the person that she believes has kidnapped her husband.

“Woah woah woah..” The Commander laughs holding his hands up to defend himself when he notices the poker. “You almost got me with that thing” Cullen laughs again as The Seeker lets out a sigh of relief when she sees The Commander is walking up the stairs towards her with a perfectly safe Inquisitor trudging along behind him.

“Maker..” Cassandra sighs lowering the poker, sure if it had been a minute longer she should have wrapped the metal around his head and caused a lot of damage to her friend. Cullen and Lord Trevelyan glance at each other, looking surprised to see her and confused as to why she is waving a deadly weapon. “I thought you were an attacker” The Seeker huffs as The Inquisitor reaches past Cullen and to take the poker from her, she notices the questioning smile he gives her when he has disarmed her.

“Why would an attacker knock on the door?” The Commander asks receiving a chuckle from Lord Trevelyan, Cassandra sees him mouth ‘That’s what I said’ to him and shake his head. “Why did it take so long for you to answer?” Cullen asks looking over his shoulder at Lord Trevelyan. The Seeker retreats back into their bedroom realising that Cullen had no intention of leaving yet and they still had no understanding of why they have been so rudely interrupted.

“It’s the middle of the night” The Inquisitor replies with his best fake yawn, she sees him bring his fist up to his eyes and begins rubbing them as if he has been asleep. Cassandra smiles to herself at his action, her husband was adorable when he wanted to be. “We were sleeping” He adds making Cullen snort.

Cassandra notices Ser Rutherford’s eyes travelling around their bedroom, she knew he wouldn’t be able to see much in the gloom with the only light coming from the fire. The Seeker suddenly wishes that she had spent a few moments collecting together their clothes that they have abandoned and tidying up, but she wasn’t to know that they were going to be having visitors at such a late hour. She smiles when she watches Lord Trevelyan move to stand behind her, she feels him place his hands on her hips as he presses a gentle kiss against the side of her head. He clearly wasn’t as concerned about Cullen’s visit because she watches him walk away from her and over to the fireplace to return the poker.

“Of course you were” The Commander replies turning his attention to Lady Pentaghast, she feels his eyes on her and is certain he is inspecting her tunic and her lack of clothing when he sees that she is watching Lord Trevelyan. She had no doubt she had been sending wave after wave of love and lust through the bond for the last few hours. The Seeker quickly returns her eyes on Cullen making him lower his. His visit was either very conveniently timed or he really did have something important to tell them.

“Couldn’t this wait until the morning?” Cassandra asks him drawing his eyes back to hers again when he hears her question. The Seeker glances to Lord Trevelyan again who has returned to them and stands with his hands crossed over his chest.

“No, it can’t wait” Ser Rutherford begins, Lady Pentaghast watches him lift his hand to his face as he pinches the bridge of his nose. “I am sorry to just burst in here like this, but it’s important” Cullen continues looking to Lord Trevelyan who just nods. Cassandra wonders if he has been woken for this important matter by the way that he has dressed down to his shirt and breeches, his usually well-groomed hair slightly out of place from sleep.

“What’s wrong Cullen?” Lord Trevelyan unfolds his arms and steps closer to The Commander. “What has happened?” He adds giving him a pat on the arm to get him to speak.

“This is going to be sound.. Impossible..” Ser Rutherford whispers making Cassandra frown. “You have to believe what I am going to tell you, no matter how crazy you may think it sounds” Cullen continues, an anxious look suddenly appearing on his face she notices.

“It’s okay Cull..” Cassandra whispers, reaching to place a comforting hand on his shoulder trying to get him to relax. She sees him taking a deep breath to compose himself. “We’ve seen plenty of things that should be impossible.. Tell us” She adds seeing him nod. He begins patting his own pockets trying to locate something that he has been carrying on him, he reaches into the front side of his breeches pulling out a piece of parchment.

“I was in my tower..” The Commander begins holding the parchment up in front of him, his eyes fixed on The Seeker. “There was a bright flash.. Brighter than any magic or lightning I’ve ever seen” Cullen puffs and pauses for a moment, she sees him shake his head as if he’s beginning to doubt his own sanity.

“We didn’t see anything..” The Inquisitor sighs, Cassandra looks at him wondering if he’s about to dismiss the bright flash as part of a very vivid dream the Commander must have been having after a long and tiring few weeks.

“You aren’t listening Ashton..” Cullen whispers turning to his friend. “The flash was in my tower, not outside.. It felt like the whole floor was going to open up. But there was no sound..” Cassandra sees the blonde man carefully open the parchment with his fingers that she now notices are shaking. Had he been taking lyrium again?

“What is that?” The Seeker asks nodding towards the scrap of parchment.

“This was left behind on my floor.. Whatever caused that flash, left this note for me” Cullen puffs and pauses again. Cassandra sees a fight going on in his face and behind his eyes, he wasn’t sure that he should be there or that he should be showing them the parchment. “Or rather this was left for you Cass..” He finally adds making her lift her brow in surprise.

“For Cassandra?” The Inquisitor asks reaching for the parchment, trying to snatch it away from The Commander. Cullen quickly pulls his hand away so that the note is out of Lord Trevelyan’s reach. Cullen holds his other hand up as if blocking Ashton.

“I think Lady Pentaghast needs to decide who gets to read this..” Cullen whispers, diverting his eyes away from The Inquisitor and to The Seeker. She sees the familiar look of concern for her in his amber eyes and as she does an overwhelming wave of his worry for her forces its way through their bond. “If you are in any trouble Lady Pentaghast, I want you to tell me..” He adds making her frown further.

“Lady Pentaghast is fine..” Lord Trevelyan huffs, Cassandra noticing that he is starting to sound irritated. Not only that they had had their silence shattered by Cullen but that he was now making accusations about her welfare.

“I am fine.. Everything is fine” Lady Pentaghast sighs. “If I was in any trouble I would tell you and I would tell The Inquisitor” She adds with a nod trying to convince her friend who she notices doesn’t look very happy with her response.

Cassandra looks to The Inquisitor who just nods, she knew her husband would only want to read it because he was concerned for her safety and wellbeing. They knew they didn’t have secrets between them but she also knew he would respect her decision and privacy, if she did decide to keep the parchment and whatever its contents were, to herself. Lady Pentaghast holds her hand out to Cullen, laying her palm flat for him to place the parchment there. He had clearly already read it because it looks like it has been opened and closed several times while he decided what to do with it and its contents.

“Okay..” The Seeker sighs as he lays the note flat onto her palm; she closes her hand around it for a moment as she looks to The Commander. He gives her a nod as if he is trying to offer her some support. “Ashton..” Cassandra whispers, immediately feeling comfort when he hears her ask for him and steps closer to her side.

“I think you should read it alone” Cullen begins until Cassandra shakes her head at him.

“We don’t have secrets..” Lady Pentaghast mumbles as she opens the parchment with her own shaky fingers. She didn’t know why she was suddenly so scared of a piece of paper. Cullen had obviously been troubled by whatever he had read. The Seeker takes a deep breath, a small smile at the edge of her mouth when she feels Lord Trevelyan wrap his arms gently around her waist. He presses his mouth against her shoulder as she lifts the parchment higher so that she can make out the words that have been written in dark black ink. She lets her eyes carefully take in every letter, mouthing the words as she reads them trying to process it.

 

_Cassandra,  
_ _Do NOT Trust The Inquisitor._

 

“Who wrote this?” Lord Trevelyan mumbles, reading the parchment over her shoulder. Cassandra feels the blood begin to drain from her face when she rereads the note again, and again. The same message every time she does.

The Seeker lets out a breath that she is sure she’d been holding since she first read the words. The Inquisitor reaches for the parchment, taking it carefully from her as she watches him from the corner of her eye, turning it over in his hands hoping for more answers. Lady Pentaghast brings her hands up to her face suddenly feeling faint; it wasn’t the message of the letter that troubled her so much but the hand that had written it.

“Its my handwriting..” Cassandra whispers as she suddenly feels both sets of eyes on her.

 

 

 

 

To Be Continued..


End file.
